Attorneys
Partner
Matthew Thomas
Prior to launching his private practice, Matthew worked as an associate at the Boston office of Ropes & Gray, as an environmental advocate in Chile, as an entrepreneur, and as in house corporate counsel to a VC backed start-up. He has guided start-ups through priced rounds, guided clients through employment disputes, represented clients in PCI DSS compliance litigation, and has guided founders through all stages of business formation. His private practice encompasses data privacy and corporate transactions involving complex technology issues, as well as the general corporate needs of his start-up clients.
Education
Washington University School of Law
Juris Doctor, Magna Cum Laude, 2010
Ball State University
B.A., Philosophy, Summa Cum Laude, 2006
Activities & Affiliations
Boston Bar Association, Member
Bar Admissions
Massachusetts
Court Admissions
U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
Federal Immigration Court
Partner
Aaron S. Oakley
Aaron counsels startups and established organizations on intellectual property (IP) portfolio strategy, IP licensing and enforcement, and technology disputes. Before law school, Aaron spent almost a decade as an electrical and computer engineer solving technical problems for companies in the medical, energy, and defense industries. Aaron joined Thomas Oakley from a multinational law firm where he was a partner litigating high-stakes patent and trade secret cases for some of the most valuable technology brands in the world.
Education
Washington University School of Law
Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, 2010
Washington University in St. Louis
B.S., Electrical Engineering, 2001
B.S., Computer Science, 2001
Activities & Affiliations
American Bar Association
Colorado Bar Association
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Bar Admissions
Colorado
New York
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
Court Admissions
U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
U.S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee
U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
Associate
Mitchell Kosht
Mitchell joined the firm as Thomas-Oakely’s full-time, public interest litigator providing legal services in several public interest practice areas, including criminal appeals, sunshine laws, asylum, police accountability, constitutional questions of digital surveillance, and other civil rights litigation. Prior to joining the firm in 2023, Mitchell clerked for the Hon. William Smith of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island and Justice Frank Gaziano of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. He also completed a one-year fellowship with the Committee for Public Counsel Services' Strategic Litigation Unit and interned at the ACLU of Massachusetts. He is a proud graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, Harvard Divinity School, and the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Education
Northeastern University School of Law
Juris Doctor, 2019
Harvard Divinity School
Master of Theological Studies, 2012
University of Colorado, Boulder
Bachelor of Arts, 2010
Clerkships
Hon. Frank Gaziano, Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
2019-2020Hon. William Smith, U.S. District Court, District of R.I.
2021-2022
Bar Admissions
Massachusetts
Counsel
Naré G. Aleksanyan
Naré joined Thomas-Oakley in 2026 as Counsel, advising startups and investors on venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate governance. She has represented companies and invstors in financings of up to $300M, and has handled buy- and sell-side M&A from diligence through closing. Naré began her career at DLA Piper and spent several years as a senior associate in the Palo Alto office of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr. Most recently, she served as Counsel to a Honolulu based firm, where her practice expanded into renewable energy development — negotiating state land leases and power purchase agreements for wind and solar projects, advising on permitting and environmental review.
Education
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
J.D. 2017
University of California, Berkeley
Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, 2012
Bar Admissions
California
Hawaii
U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai’i
Office Address
One Sansome Street, Suite 1400 #A1098
San Francisco, CA 94104
Associate
Valerie Nussenblatt
Valerie joined Thomas-Oakley in 2024 as a corporate associate. Prior to joining the firm, she was the director of a venture studio that supports startups and venture capital firms and worked in the corporate department of a DC-based law firm working with emerging companies. Before going into corporate practice, Valerie worked in law and justice sector reform cross-regionally at the World Bank where she provided analysis and support to projects targeting both institutional reform and access to justice sector services and was a member of a World Bank team negotiating fiscal budget support for a country in West Africa. In addition to judicial efficiency, Valerie’s research and analytical work at the World Bank focused on the impact the justice sector has on the business environment and on identifying legal or institutional barriers to investment, entrepreneurship and private sector development.
Education
University of Maryland School of Law
Juris Doctor, 2009
The London School of Economics
Master of Science, International Relations, 2004
Brown University
Bachelor of Arts, History & International Relations, 2002
Bar Admissions
Maryland
New York
California