Lee Conner is a partner in VLP’s Commercial Lending Practice Group, with a strong focus on venture debt and growth capital transactions. With more than two decades of legal experience, including nearly a decade in-house at one of the nation’s top venture lenders, Lee provides practical, business-focused counsel to financial institutions and venture debt funds, as well as high-growth borrowers.
Lee has built a national practice advising clients on venture debt financings, including term loans, revolving credit facilities, and equity instruments. For nearly nine years, he served as in-house counsel at Square 1 Bank, where he established the bank’s internal loan documentation group and closed hundreds of debt transactions with venture-backed companies. In addition to structuring and documenting deals, Lee advised on commercial leasing, technology and vendor contracts, intellectual property issues, and regulatory compliance, as well as litigation management. He later served as General Counsel and Director of Human Resources at Chandler Concrete, a regional market leader in construction materials. Earlier in his career, Lee practiced at the Vernon law firm, representing private and public companies in corporate and commercial matters, and he also worked as an investment banking analyst for Credit Suisse First Boston in New York City. His combined legal and business experience, supported by his MBA training, gives him a clear understanding of both lender and borrower priorities in the venture ecosystem.
Lee earned his JD and MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also received a BA with Honors in Economics as a Morehead Scholar. He lives in North Carolina with his family and enjoys serving as President of the NC Governor’s School Foundation, taking his kids to historical sites, and cheering for the Tar Heels.
