Over his career, Scott Becker says opportunities for top in-house legal jobs don’t come along very often in Orange County.
“It’s a competitive market,” Becker told the Business Journal. “There are a lot of qualified attorneys and not that many companies looking to hire.”
So, it took him by surprise when a recruiter he had known for several years called about a deputy general counsel position at Santa Ana-based Collectors Holdings Inc., known for authenticating and grading sports cards, Pokémon cards, memorabilia, coins and other collectibles.
Collectors began grading coins in 1986
Collectors began grading coins in 1986. In 2021, an investor group led by entrepreneur and collector Nat Turner took the company private in an $853 million deal. Since then, Collectors has invested heavily in technology, facilities and international expansion.
An Opportunity Worth Pursuing
Becker, who won a Business Journal General Counsel Award last year in the Rising Star category, wasn’t looking to leave Willow Innovations, the Silicon Valley-based wearable breast pump maker where he was serving as general counsel and corporate secretary.
But after meeting with Collectors General Counsel Roxana Jamshidi and others at the company, he knew the opportunity was worth pursuing.
“Everyone I talked to just made me more and more excited about the company, the opportunity, and his role specifically,” said Becker, who started at Collectors as deputy general counsel on Sept. 15.
A week later, his instincts proved correct.
After my first week at Collectors, what stands
“After my first week at Collectors, what stands out most is the people — their expertise, their energy and how much they care about the collectors we work for,” he said. “I’m thrilled to be a part of this team and looking forward to some really exciting things ahead for Collectors.”
With Collectors “growing like crazy,” Becker said he’ll help support the company as it scales.
He joins a legal team of about seven as its No. 2 executive, reporting to Jamshidi, who has a litigation background.
Becker said he’ll focus on “the corporate side of the house,” drawing on his experience leading financing and M&A transactions at Willow and quarterbacking Irvine-based Vizio’s 2021 initial public offering. He’ll also help mentor and expand the legal department.
I think just given the growth
“I think just given the growth in the business,” he said, “it’s understood that the legal team is going to have to grow pretty significantly to keep pace. Collecting is really having a moment.”
Wrapping Up at Willow
Becker’s move comes about a year after the Business Journal honored him for his work at Willow, where he helped engineer the acquisition of assets from U.K.-based rival Elvie.
The complicated transaction grew out of a patent infringement dispute and expanded Willow’s product portfolio and international reach.
“We’ve got the business fully integrated now, which is great,” Becker said, adding that Willow is looking to expand its product pipeline over the next six to nine months.
Before he left for Collectors, he helped Willow recently file a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) against companies in the U.S. and abroad who are allegedly infringing patents covering its wearable breast pump technology.
Willow invented the wearable category and invested
“Willow invented the wearable category and invested in the foundational IP in the space,” he said.
Becker isn’t planning to leave his work at Willow entirely behind. He will consult for the company, primarily providing strategic advice related to the ITC cases and helping preserve institutional knowledge as the company transitions to new leadership.
At the same time, he’s adjusting to another change: commuting to an office.Becker has worked remotely since the pandemic from his home in Costa Mesa. Driving to Collectors’ Santa Ana headquarters will be his first regular office commute in several years.
He knows the next few months will be busy.
“I’m not going to sleep very much,” he said.
