Our Team
Leadership
Experienced professionals with deep expertise across law, finance, operations, and technology, guiding companies through their most complex challenges.
Founder & CEO
Jim Baer
Jim brings decades of exceptional legal acumen and strategic business leadership to CMBG, and served as a trusted outside general counsel and leading business advisor to a diverse portfolio of companies around the country. His distinguished career spans venture capital financing, corporate restructuring, and executive leadership, making him an invaluable asset to organizations navigating complex business transformations.
With masterful precision, Jim orchestrates corporate strategies while safeguarding legal interests, guiding companies through sensitive, high-profile restructuring matters with both efficiency and empathy. His rare combination of legal expertise and business intelligence provides him with a distinctive perspective that seamlessly integrates ethical considerations with business imperatives.
Boards of directors, C-suite executives, and business owners regularly seek Jim's counsel on corporate matters, including structured loan transactions, complex mergers and acquisitions, multi-faceted restructuring operations, and intricate corporate securities issues.
Beyond his exemplary legal practice, Jim has distinguished himself as an executive officer and strategic business advisor across numerous industries. Before founding the prestigious Baer, Negrin & Troff, and CMBG Advisors, Jim led the Corporate Department at Katten, Muchin & Zavis in Los Angeles, following his tenure with the internationally renowned Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP.
Jim's academic credentials include a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School.
Executive Vice President, Head of Administration
Lisa Van Eyssen
Lisa serves as the executive day-to-day contact for CMBG clients, providing them with the resources and information necessary to proceed through their legal or business matters.
Lisa leads a dynamic team of restructuring specialists who excel in all aspects of the corporate restructuring process, including sales of assets and liquidation, landlord negotiations, creditor claims and distribution, payroll, employee relations, and tax issues.
With her strategic oversight, her team proactively updates companies on the status of each restructuring program and communicates critical information to clientele. Lisa's exceptional talent for coordinating resources, strategies, and experienced personnel enables her team to tackle the most difficult challenges.
Drawing on over 20 years of leadership experience in the entertainment industry, Lisa has developed a management approach that combines creative problem-solving with rigorous execution. A proud UCLA Bruin, she skillfully managed production teams and negotiated with major film studios while producing documentary films.
Chief Operating Officer, Head of Sales & Marketing
Neil Massa
Neil Massa joined CMBG Advisors in August 2018. Since then, he has participated in over 15 projects relating to maximizing recovery for lenders, creditors, and investors for ABC proceedings.
Neil leads a specialized team of investigators and recovery specialists, overseeing CMBG's network of operations involving wind downs, asset sales, liquidations, as well as inventory and records management.
Prior to joining CMBG, Neil served over 35 years in law enforcement for agencies in Northern and Southern California, including two years on a Federal Environmental Crimes Task Force and status as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal, where he developed his talent for assembling and directing high-performing teams.
With dual expertise in law enforcement and private security, Neil directed forensic investigation teams uncovering diversion of assets, bankruptcy fraud, misappropriation of funds, and cases of fraudulent conveyances. Under his guidance, his team has successfully resolved preference actions and inside transfers across diverse industries.
Neil has established himself as a seasoned business leader with a diverse portfolio of entrepreneurial ventures. He successfully founded and scaled a retail pet store in Santa Monica. His executive experience extends to multiple corporate boards of directors.
Head of Information Technology
Dennis Wilkes
For over 25 years Dennis has been at the forefront of IT Consulting for small business and large campuses all over Southern California and the Midwest.
He has established the unique distinction of being the rare consultant who is both an expert in Mac and Microsoft environments owing to decades of focused work in both ecosystems. He has installed and configured countless networks and the equipment required to secure them.
Beyond that, Dennis has handled almost every technical environment from small offices to municipal facilities and hospitals along with everything in between. It is with this expansive knowledge and experience, combined with the ability to adapt to the ever-changing technical environments we live in today, that we are confident in Dennis as our Technology Officer.
Strategic Partners
Extending Our Reach
CMBG partners with experienced professionals across the country, bringing local expertise and national reach to every engagement.
Erik Morton
Strategic Partner — New York
Albany, New York
Erik brings deep expertise in SaaS and ecommerce transactions to CMBG's strategic network. Based in Albany, he extends the firm's reach across the Northeast, advising on founder liquidity events, roll-up strategies, and structured transactions for technology companies navigating growth and transition.
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Louis R. Dienes
Strategic Partner — San Diego
San Diego, California
Louis is a seasoned M&A attorney with more than two decades of experience handling mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures in technology and other growth industries. He has represented clients in more than $10 billion of concluded transactions, including complex domestic and cross-border deals. His partnership with CMBG strengthens the firm's transactional and restructuring capabilities across Southern California and beyond.
LinkedInGlobal Operations
Worldwide Capabilities
CMBG maintains global operations to ensure efficiency, around-the-clock productivity, and seamless support across every engagement.
Sienna Grant
Operations Manager — India
India
Sienna leads CMBG's India-based operations team, managing back-office functions including data processing, document management, financial reporting support, and administrative coordination. Her team enables CMBG to operate with greater efficiency and around-the-clock productivity across global engagements.
Ready to Work Together?
Our experienced team is ready to help navigate your company's challenges with clarity and resolve.
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