First Avenue Ventures

T. Mike Goodrich, II

Partner

T. Michael Goodrich, II is the principal in First Avenue Ventures, LLC. Mike serves as the chair of the board for Alabama Outdoors, SMS Plus, an apartment marketing firm, and a founder of Spruce, a mobile productivity app company and active in the operation of numerous other business ventures. Mike is a member of the Board of Directors of the Mike and Gillian Goodrich Foundation, the Board of Governors of Indian Springs School, the board of directors for the Fresh Water Land Trust, and on the board of the UAB Athletic Foundation.

Additionally, Mike maintains his law license with Red Mountain Law Group. Red Mountain Law Group is an alliance of small law firms who work together to provide businesses and business owners legal services. By using this network, Mike and others can provide a wide array of services in an efficient platform. Mike is an original founder of the Red Mountain Law Group. Mike’s approach to his business practice is to provide relevant legal advice with an emphasis on the business implications. Providing efficient, highly professional legal advice with a realization of budgetary implications is a hallmark of his practice. Mike provides such services by quickly digesting complicated situations and making recommendation as to how to solve the problem. The advice is provided regardless of whether or not he will be personally involved. By utilizing a network of other attorneys and professionals, Mike can handle a vast array of business legal problems effectively and efficiently. These skills are useful as both a lawyer and as a principal for FAV.

As a lawyer, he serves as an in-house attorney resource for small and mid-size businesses. In this capacity, he assists companies on a broad range of corporate issues including various contract advice (employment, IT, licensing, consulting and service agreements), estate and income tax advice, corporate record maintenance, real estate, IP protection, employment advice, securities issues, litigation and the spectrum of other issues that confront these companies.

Additionally, Mike has assisted numerous businesses through the process of becoming a corporation, limited liability company (LLC) or other business entity, regardless of whether such businesses are in the start-up process, going through business growth and needing a change of corporate structure, adding or buying out owners, or transitioning to a complete ownershipchange. In the course of these representations or as completely separate from this process, Mike has assisted businesses and business owners in the preparation of shareholder (buy/sell) agreements and operating agreements. Mike has also negotiated and closed several mergers and acquisitions as counsel for both buyers and sellers, as well as closing counsel.

Before establishing the Goodrich Law Firm and Red Mountain Law, Mike worked as a solo attorney and small business consultant in Decatur, Georgia. In this capacity, he worked with numerous small and mid-sized companies on business plans and venture financing, in addition to general legal corporate work. Between 1997 and 2001, Mike worked in the Corporate and Securities Practice Group in the Birmingham, Alabama office of Bradley Arant Rose & White, LLP. Additionally, in 2000, Mike, with a partner, started Webcupboard, Birmingham’s first Internet grocery store. Webcupboard customers ordered online and had groceries delivered to their homes or businesses. This venture gave him experience in all aspects of managing, operating and financing a small business, including the development and implementation of a business plan.

Mike is a 1997 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law, where he graduated with honors. In 1994, Mike graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio with both a Political Science and Communications Bachelors of Science degree. He is a member of the American Bar Association (Business Section), Alabama Bar Association, Birmingham Bar Association, Birmingham Business Alliance and the Birmingham Venture Club.

Mike is also a member of the PARCA (Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama) Roundtable and a member of the First Presbyterian Church Foundation Board, where he is active as a member. He is a member of the Leadership Birmingham Class of 2009-2010. Mike has also obtained the rank of Eagle Scout. He is married to Elizabeth Cole Goodrich. They have three children,  Catherine, Gibson and Andrew.