Cooley Highly Commended in FT Innovative Lawyers North America

• Firm recognized for defending Gevo in a biofuels patent battle; and for transforming law firm technology
• Cooley’s creative approach to technology and client service also featured in The Lawyer magazine 

New York – December 7, 2016 – Cooley’s client achievements and its approach to technology and innovation have been recognized by the Financial Times in its Innovative Lawyers North America special report. The firm received two ‘highly commended’ rankings, while Cooley client DocuSign was singled out as a ‘standout’ company with a most innovative general counsel, Reggie Davis. 

Cooley was highly commended in the FT’s ‘enabling clients to innovate’ category for its successful defense of client Gevo, a biofuels pioneer, in a patent infringement case brought by large competitor, Butamax. Using a legal costs model that enabled Gevo to fight the case, Cooley also helped negotiate a joint licensing deal with Butamax.

Cooley was also highly commended in the ‘use of technology’ category, for building bridges between its lawyers and technology staff, helping lawyers embrace new technologies most effectively, as well as integrating technology and law in the development of innovative and efficient solutions for clients. 

The Financial Times recognition follows a recent profile in UK legal magazine The Lawyer that looked at Cooley’s focus on its advancements in internal technology as a continuation of servicing its clients, which have long been known as leaders in the technology space. “Law firms have typically lagged on their adoption of tech,” Robert Kerr, Cooley’s CIO told The Lawyer. “For us, it’s really not about the tech – it’s about our clients. How we can benefit them? Do we need a different approach? Then it’s about the lawyers and their business needs, and their clients’ needs and how they can better serve them.”

In addition to the firm’s recognition by the FT, DocuSign, a Cooley corporate client and e-signature company, was named a standout corporation in the ‘driving transformation in business and industry’ category for developing the industry standard for privacy and security in digital transactions.

DocuSign’s Reggie Davis was also honored as one of the most ‘innovative general counsels’ in 2016. The FT noted that Davis is “the digital signature company’s ‘quarterback,’ in that he plays an essential ‘offensive’ and strategic role, engaging new customers and helping other general counsel manage digital transformations within their own businesses.”

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