San Diego and Washington, DC – June 10, 2024 – Cooley has expanded its compensation and benefits practice with the addition of partners Michael Bergmann in Washington, DC, and Scott McCall in San Diego. Together, they bring more than five decades of experience advising public and private company clients on their complex compensation and benefits needs. Bergmann joins Cooley from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, and McCall joins from Wilson Sonsini.
“Michael and Scott are extremely experienced lawyers and are tremendous additions to our compensation and benefits practice,” said Sonya Erickson, chair of Cooley’s global business department. “We are delighted they have joined us, especially as our growing roster of public company clients grapples with increasingly complex compensation and benefits demands.”
“Michael and Scott are well known and highly regarded attorneys with deep experience across a wide range of industries,” said Ali Murata and Barbara Mirza, Cooley partners and co-chairs of the firm’s compensation and benefits group. “Members of our group have known and respected Michael and Scott for years, and we are thrilled to welcome them to Cooley.”
Bergmann regularly counsels major public and private companies on executive compensation, employee benefits and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) matters. He has extensive experience advising clients in the context of mergers and acquisitions varying in size and scale, from mid-market private company deals to public company transactions valued in the billions of dollars.
“Cooley has an incredible roster of cutting-edge clients and a culture of collaboration, which makes this move incredibly exciting for me,” Bergmann said. “As Cooley’s top-notch M&A, capital markets and public companies practices continue to grow, so will client demand for guidance on compensation and benefits matters as they undertake transformative events.”
McCall brings more than 25 years of experience advising public and private companies in the technology and life sciences sectors with a broad range of compensation matters – including equity compensation, bonus arrangements, and employment and severance agreements. He also has extensive corporate transactions experience. His practice focuses on providing companies with practical advice while ensuring they navigate the complexities of tax, securities, employment and related laws.
“I am excited to join the Cooley team and work with such a broad mix of clients – from the world’s most dynamic public companies to fast-growing startups and late-stage private companies,” said McCall. “I look forward to partnering with these companies to implement their compensation arrangements and helping them to effectively accomplish their goals.”
Cooley’s compensation and benefits practice is comprised of nearly 40 lawyers worldwide. It unites the tax, corporate and securities law know-how necessary for the design, implementation and disclosure of complex compensation and benefits programs. The practice brings wide-ranging experience across all aspects of compensation and benefits – from offering creative solutions to evolving startups and emerging growth companies to serving as trusted boardroom advisers to both new and well-established public companies and their compensation committees on matters of executive and equity compensation, disclosure issues, shareholder relations and more. The practice also plays a central role in the structuring and execution of initial public offerings and M&A transactions.
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