Promise Legal

Come Alive

Our Vision

Return True
Creative, passionate lawyering for creative, passionate people.

At Promise Legal, programming is in our blood.

We work with our clients on a variety of business and technology legal matters, using future-focused tech and billing practices.

Practice Areas

Tech and Security

Technology & Security

In the realm of technology law, saying "the law is the law" across all businesses is overly simplistic. While the law itself may be agnostic, a deep understanding of the underlying technology is indispensable for top-tier legal representation. Our expertise not only encompasses the legal landscape but also extends to the technical intricacies that drive today’s digital businesses.

Insightful Legal Representation Through Technical Expertise

Our firm excels in translating complex tech scenarios into clear legal strategies. Knowing how data traverses systems allows us to advise clients effectively on avoiding liabilities from potential data breaches. We evaluate technological assets, distinguishing between high-value innovations and routine code, ensuring our clients receive informed guidance that protects their interests.

Strategic Negotiation and Litigation

Choosing the right attorney for technology negotiations is crucial. Would you prefer a representative who views all software components equally, or one who understands the varying efforts and impacts of specific functions? At our firm, we leverage our technical and legal acumen to negotiate and litigate with a nuanced appreciation of the technology at stake, ensuring outcomes that are not only equitable and practical but robust.

Business

Business Law

At our firm, we recognize that the relationship between a client and their attorney transcends mere transactions. Each legal need, whether it appears standalone, fits into a larger strategic framework tailored to advance your business goals.

Comprehensive Strategy Beyond Immediate Needs

Clients often approach us with specific needs—a trademark registration or business formation, for example. However, these actions are components of broader strategies aimed at protecting your brand or optimizing your operational structure. We don't just fulfill an immediate legal requirement; we consider how it integrates into and enhances your overall business strategy.

Proactive Legal Solutions for Long-Term Success

We are committed to taking the long view of your business needs. Our approach is to develop and implement strategies that not only address today's concerns but also set the foundation for future benefits. Whether it’s about reducing liability, dividing profits, or safeguarding your intellectual property, we ensure that every legal decision contributes to your long-term success.

Media and Entertainment

Media and Entertainment Law

At the heart of every artist is a unique energy that fuels their creativity. Our goal is to ensure that setting up your legal strategy enhances this energy rather than disrupting it. We understand that your legal needs should complement your creative process, not complicate it.

Protecting Your Creative Output

As artists ourselves, we are uniquely positioned to understand both the passion behind your work and the practical aspects of its protection. From safeguarding your intellectual property to negotiating your licensing deals, we ensure that every aspect of your legal framework supports and amplifies your artistic vision.

Tailored Representation That Understands Your Craft

Our team is committed to providing representation that resonates with the unique needs of artists in various fields. Whether you are a musician, writer, filmmaker, or visual artist, we tailor our services to fit your specific skill sets and career goals. We’re not just your attorneys; we are your partners in crafting a legal strategy that serves as the foundation of your enduring success.

Why Us?

Traditional Solutions. New Packages.

We have the get-up-and-go to build our own systems, design our own processes, and integrate traditional skills into our practice! We know how to take something old and make it new.

At Promise Legal, we value creativity and want to curate solutions for you and your business that match your vibe! Say goodbye to outdated ways of thinking!
Your business is out of this world! Your lawyer should be too!

The Team

Alex Shahrestani

Partner
Alex loves to geek out over tech. Video games, his 3D printer, his coding projects, bioengineering, privacy, cybersecurity… Get him started and he will go on and on…

and on…

He also found that he has a knack for brand and IP management. He often looks back on his young, naive belief that he’d find copyright and trademark issues boring, and thinks, “Wow. Was I wrong.”

Maggie Shahrestani

Partner
Maggie finds strong women inspiring. Her mother was the first female U.S. Air Force pilot in a combat situation. Her college friends are mostly women in STEM. Some of her best friends run their own startups selling inventions they helped design. She likes to keep up the trend of surrounding herself with powerful, entrepreneurial women.
Maggie especially enjoys helping companies compete with — and do business with — bigger brands, while holding onto the values that make them unique. She loves the thrill of helping a client enter a first big contract, or the satisfaction of putting an empty legal threat to rest.

Kevin Haynes

Attorney
Kevin’s not just a hotshot lawyer with a solid background in corporate law from his Silicon Valley and Research Triangle days. He’s also an ardent champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion – which fits right in with the core values of Promise Legal.
Kevin’s also committed to giving back to the community. His involvement with nonprofits like the University of Texas Co-op, Vivent Health, Equality Texas, and OutYouth has played a key role in creating a sense of belonging and advocating for equal opportunities for everyone.
A tennis enthusiast and a whizz in the kitchen, his passion for learning goes beyond the courtroom, as he has taught at renowned institutions and is a proud alumnus of Rice University and Stanford Law School.

Amber Petríg

Attorney

Having cut her teeth on major international projects such as the Trade Secret Protection Index and work for the World IP Organization, Amber lives and breathes IP. She’s heavily invested in diversity and inclusion in her practice, having focused on minority studies for much of her undergrad and legal education.

Amber’s primary interests are in getting artists and entrepreneurs off the ground. She’s worked with multiple small business owners and musicians and is branching out to all forms of media and entertainment. As the daughter of entrepreneurial parents and a first-generation college grad, Amber knows about the hard work and effort that goes into creating a lasting business.

When she’s not redlining contracts and negotiating the best deals for her clients, Amber spends her time with her fiancé and dog enjoying the great outdoors. She’s an avid foodie and novice horticulturist with a keen eye for the visual arts.

Cyrus Johnson

Attorney
Cyrus Johnson if Of Counsel to Promise Legal He brings over twenty years of experience in investment, technology, general corporate legal portfolios, and litigation.

Director/COO of a leading early stage India-investment global private equity platform, Cyrus is well versed in regulated and exempt investment and compliance, including private equity and venture capital (buy and sell sides). His former training and work as a Series 7 Analyst greatly informs.

Additionally, Cyrus has built robust technology set-ups for Fortune 500 (including BPO/SAAS/SLAs+), advised technology start-ups and their leaders and investors, and is now technology-forward in Law + Ai tools and strategies. ("Ai Counsel") His role at a leading 1B startup (the first Amazon), and extensive prior management work, augments his ability to serve founders in their daily mission.

Skilled also in litigation, intellectual property, trade secret and all legal up and down the corporate silo, Cyrus excels at managing overall legal portfolios on behalf of clients seeking greater ROI and enhanced mission effectiveness through streamlining and operational, engagement, and task-triage efficiencies.

Cyrus is a member of he California (2003) and Texas (2023) Bars. He has a "sweet spot" for companies which has relocated from there to here, assisting them in migrating to tomorrow from his base in Dallas (McKinney and Fairview).

Outside work, Cyrus favors sports, hiking, writing, speaking and maker projects along with family time.

Promos and Offers

SXSW

Attend any of our events during the month of March to receive an exclusive promo code toward (insert service here).

Subscriptions

Need a dedicated legal team without the hassle of new hires? We have customizable subscriptions to fit your needs!

Musician Starter Kit

Getting ready to make it big? Ask about our special packages made to rock your local music scene!

In The Press

“I saw that there was a thriving startup scene in Austin, which would be perfect for learning about technology law,” Shahrestani said. “I ended up attending UT law, but when I got there, no one knew anything about technology law.” .... Shahrestani said he couldn’t find any resources at UT related to technology law, so he decided to create his own. This led to the beginning of the Journal of Law and Technology at Texas, a student-run journal and organization focused on issues relating to the intersection of technology and law.

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The Daily Texan
Some people believe technology can bridge that gap. “Technology can automate various functions. Whether that’s client intake or document drafting and that lets you spend less time on each case and more time serving more people,” Shahrestani said.

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Spectrum News
Alex has built a team [at Promise Legal] that supports people who need legal assistance with 21st century business formation, contracts, and regulatory compliance. Alex emphasizes that creativity in his firm is not just about having a million ideas but rather about problem-solving for clients. He explains how clients often come in with preconceived solutions to their problems, and it's the firm's role to creatively assess if those solutions align with their goals. His firm also contributes to the broader goal of improving access to justice in sustainable ways. “I feel an affinity for the startup founders,” Alex says. “I get excited about their attempts to change the world.” Partners at Promise Legal PLLC are incentivized to engage in pro bono work and have a healthy work-life balance.

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Texas Bar Practice

Promise Legal

Contact

2028 E Ben White Blvd
Mailbox 240-7210
Austin, Texas 78741

Events

Monday to Friday
9:00 am to 5:00 pm

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