Cooley Bolsters Global Fund Formation Practice With Singapore Hire

Singapore – January 19, 2021 – Sean Murphy is joining Cooley as a partner in the firm’s global fund formation practice based in the Singapore office. Murphy arrives from Shearman & Sterling, where he was a member of its Asia asset management and investment funds practice.

“The Singapore venture market is growing exponentially,” said John Dado, partner and chair of Cooley’s fund formation practice. “We have a unique opportunity to build on the momentum initiated by our emerging companies and venture capital group and establish Cooley as the top firm for funds counsel in the region. With deep regional experience, technical know-how and an entrepreneurial spirit, we are confident that Sean will contribute significantly to this objective.”

Murphy’s background includes more than a decade of advising on all aspects of private fund structuring and formation, limited partner investments in private funds, co-investments and investments in private equity sponsors across Singapore, Hong Kong and New York. He regularly advises sponsors and investors on venture capital, growth capital, private equity, real estate, infrastructure, credit, special situations and hedge strategies. Murphy also has experience advising private funds and corporate clients on mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions and joint venture arrangements. He received a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania and earned his JD from The George Washington University Law School. Murphy, who speaks Mandarin Chinese, is admitted to practice in New York.

“I’m excited to partner with my colleagues in establishing a new frontier for Cooley and the Singapore VC market,” Murphy said. “I look forward to joining this first-class group and building on the firm’s leading reputation across the globe.” 

Cooley’s Singapore office has grown exponentially since its launch in January 2020. The firm’s first office in Southeast Asia has worked on numerous significant corporate transactions since opening and earned a Band 1 distinction for Startups & Emerging Companies as part of Chambers and Partners’ Asia-Pacific rankings. Cooley formed the first venture capital limited partnership in the western US and has since become a global powerhouse in fund formation. The firm has been active in China, India and Southeast Asia for decades. With a team of 40+ lawyers focused full time on fund formation, Cooley is primary fund counsel to 500+ investment fund organizations. In 2020, the team closed 315+ funds, raising more than US$30 billion in capital commitments. 

The group also runs Vanilla by Cooley, a secure, cloud-based platform designed for fund managers to give investors a streamlined interface to subscribe for and manage fund interests online or on mobile. The group’s blog, TheFundLawyer, is an information source for VC managers with a focus on industry trends and customs, as well as recent legal and tax developments.

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