02/22/2006
Cooley Partner Named California Lawyer of the Year
Palo Alto, Calif. – February 22, 2006 — Cooley Godward LLP announced today that litigation partner John C. Dwyer, based in Palo Alto, has been named 2005 California Lawyer/Attorney of the Year (CLAY) by California Lawyer magazine. The list is comprised of California-based lawyers who made a significant impact on law or policy or continued their exceptional work during 2005.
"We are extremely proud of John for earning this prestigious recognition," said Stephen Neal, chairman and CEO of Cooley Godward. "It is testimony to not just his outstanding accomplishments in 2005, but to his stature as a top lawyer in his practice."
Dwyer was named lawyer of the year in the Securities category for his successful representation of Siebel Systems, Inc. and two of its senior officers in one of the most closely watched securities cases of 2005. Dwyer led the defense of the first-ever contested Regulation FD enforcement action, which was closely monitored by officers and directors of public companies and their counsel as they struggled to understand the limits Regulation FD placed on their ability to communicate with investors and analysts. In an editorial shortly after the decision, The Wall Street Journal wrote: "Markets need more information, not less, if prices are going to properly reflect the underlying value of an asset. Congratulations to Siebel for standing up for free speech and against the SEC's bullying." (The Wall Street Journal, Sept. 12, 2005)
The tenth annual California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) awards recognize lawyers who made a significant impact on the legal industry in 2005. In 2004, Steve Friedlander, a partner in Cooley Godward's San Francisco office, was the recipient of a CLAY award in the pro bono category for his work on behalf of death row inmate Larry Lucas.
About John Dwyer
Dwyer has been a partner in Cooley's Litigation department since 1998. His principal clients include a wide range of California companies, including Pacific Gas & Electric Company, NVIDIA Corporation, Synopsys Inc., Adobe Inc., Genecor International Inc. and Gilead Sciences Inc. He came to Cooley from the U.S. Department of Justice, where he was Acting Associate Attorney General, the department's third highest post. In that capacity, he oversaw the DOJ's Antitrust, Civil, Environment and Natural Resources, Civil Rights and Tax divisions.
Dwyer was also instrumental in a major impact pro bono matter involving the representation of a nationwide class of immigrants who had been unfairly denied documentation of their legal status. Under Dwyer's leadership, Cooley recently received The National Law Journal's Pro Bono Award for this case, Santillan, et al. v. Gonzales, et al., which was selected as one of the country's top four pro bono cases of 2005.
About Cooley Godward
Cooley Godward is an established provider of strategic litigation and business transaction services and a recognized leader in the representation of high-growth private and public companies, financial institutions, venture capital firms and nonprofit organizations. Our singular focus on providing the highest quality legal services has enabled our clients to achieve their strategic business objectives and garnered for Cooley recognition as one of the country's leading law firms.
Cooley was recently named to The American Lawyer magazine's 2005 "A List," the publication's annual ranking of "the best of the best" among the nation's top law firms. For additional information please visit www.cooley.com.
Media Contact:
Christine Wherry
Cooley Godward LLP
(650) 843-5702
cwherry@cooley.com