Cooley Hires Prominent Bay Area Corporate Partners

Palo Alto and San Francisco – September 13, 2017 – Cooley has added to its top-tier corporate practice with the arrival of a team of three leading partners from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati: Jon Avina, Calise Cheng and Rachel Proffitt. Avina and Cheng are based in Palo Alto, Proffitt in San Francisco.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jon, Calise and Rachel to our team,” said Mike Lincoln, global chair of Cooley’s business department. “Their arrival aligns with our growth plan of making high-impact strategic investments in talent that strengthens our core practices. Jon, Calise and Rachel are all next-generation leaders advising on high-profile clients and transactions in Silicon Valley and beyond. Together, they will increase the depth of resources for our clients and give Cooley an even greater opportunity to expand our focus on disruptive companies across tech, life sciences and other high-growth industries.”

Avina, Cheng and Proffitt are particularly well known for developing a practice that spans the lifecycle of emerging growth companies from inception through liquidity event, including the IPOs and ongoing public company representation of many high-profile tech companies. With nearly 50 years of collective experience working in Silicon Valley, they bring a wealth of knowledge representing a variety of promising startups and disruptive companies in the enterprise software, networking, health and wellness, internet, and energy and clean technology industries.

“We have joined a platform that will best serve the long-term interests of our clients,” Avina said. “Having worked opposite my new partners at Cooley for the past 20 years, I have always been impressed by their technical expertise and sound judgment. Even more importantly, they embody the firm’s collaborative approach to client service with their constant focus on achieving the right result for their clients. Working as a team is critical to client service, and it was this opportunity that drew the three of us to Cooley.”

“We couldn’t be more excited about joining forces with Cooley,” Proffitt added. “We were particularly impressed with the vision and depth of Cooley’s leadership team, and we are eager to contribute to Cooley’s notable momentum. There is no doubt that our clients will benefit from the Cooley culture that is evident to anyone who works in this industry.”

Avina, Cheng and Proffitt are expected to join Cooley this month following their official release from Wilson Sonsini.

Cooley has 5,000+ innovative, high-growth private company clients. It is the #1 law firm of the last decade representing venture-backed companies going public. Cooley advises 35% of The Wall Street Journal’s Billion Dollar Startup Club and half of the companies on Pitchbook's Fourteen Most Valuable US Startups list. 

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