Cooley Strengthens Public Companies Practice With Notable Los Angeles Hire

Los Angeles – March 14, 2022 – John-Paul Motley has joined Cooley as a Los Angeles-based partner in the firm’s public companies practice group. Arriving from O’Melveny & Myers, where he was chair of the firm’s capital markets practice and formerly served as a member of its policy committee and as managing partner of its Los Angeles office, Motley advises on corporate board governance, securities law compliance, and sophisticated equity and debt transactions.

“JP’s experience will be instrumental in supporting the day-to-day needs of our Southern California-based clients in all stages of their life cycle,” said Chadwick Mills, who co-chairs Cooley’s public companies practice group alongside Jason Kent. “He will play a key role as we continue to guide market-leading, late-stage private companies through public offerings and beyond. We’re excited to welcome him to the team as we further strengthen our national public companies practice.”

Motley advises boards of public and private companies on corporate governance matters, as well as securities law compliance and disclosure issues. He represents issuers in IPOs, follow-on and secondary offerings, and high-yield, convertible and investment-grade debt issuances. Motley’s clients span the financial services, retail, entertainment, engineering and construction, automotive, recreational vehicle, airline, and technology industries.

“Cooley’s leading public companies group provides an incredible platform to scale my practice, and I’m excited to help grow and strengthen a core part of the firm’s business during a period of exceptional momentum,” Motley said. “I look forward to working with the firm’s booming client base and helping drive Cooley's growing presence in Los Angeles.”

As Cooley approaches the 10th anniversary of the founding of its initial Los Angeles office in Santa Monica, the firm plans to open a second Los Angeles office, which will be located downtown. This expansion is a testament to the firm’s commitment to Los Angeles and reflective of Cooley’s accomplishments since launching in the city in 2012. Motley will be based in the new downtown office and serve as its partner in charge.

Motley’s addition to Cooley’s public companies practice follows on the heels of the arrivals of Jean Park, Brad Goldberg, Sarah Sellers, and Rupa Briggs and Nicolas Dumont, all of whom joined the firm in New York over the past year. As the #1 firm for taking companies public since 2014, Cooley counsels public companies in high-stakes, complex business and litigation matters across the globe, and advises seasoned and newly public companies of all sizes on securities and corporate matters. Cooley serves as principal corporate governance and securities counsel for 240+ public companies in all aspects of regulatory compliance, including securities disclosures and compliance with government and stock exchange requirements.

Working with the elite leaders of the new economy and an exceptionally large base of unicorns, Cooley is a trusted partner to public companies, their boards and committees. The firm leverages its market-leading experience to address each client’s legal needs efficiently and comprehensively during every stage of a business’s growth and expansion, and its preeminent public companies practice coordinates seamlessly with lawyers from its securities, M&A, compensation and litigation groups to help public companies succeed in their business endeavors.Cooley recently launched its Public Company Innovation Hub, a dynamic, cross-practice resource giving US-listed public companies the information they need to successfully navigate securities laws and increasing regulation.

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