Joe Conroy

Joe Conroy is the chairman of Cooley and leads its board of directors. Previously, he served as the firm’s chief executive officer. During Joe’s 16-year tenure as CEO, the firm more than doubled in headcount, building balanced practices on both coasts of the US and dynamically expanding into Europe and Asia, while gross revenues grew from just under $500 million to more than $2 billion. This growth was achieved with an unyielding focus on nurturing a fully inclusive and unique culture that would attract and retain the best and most diverse talent at all levels.

Joe was honored by The American Lawyer as the Transatlantic Law Firm Leader for 2016 at its second annual Transatlantic Legal Awards. Under Joe’s leadership, Cooley was named to Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list for seven consecutive years.

Joe is committed to increasing diversity in legal services. He is a member of the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity (LCLD) and serves on the Global Advisory Board of the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF).

Prior to his firm leadership roles, Joe advised technology clients on corporate and securities transactions and technology procurement and transfer matters, with particular emphasis on life sciences, software and telecommunications companies. His transactional corporate work primarily involved mergers & acquisitions, securities offerings, venture capital, joint ventures, and corporate finance.

Before joining Cooley, Joe was a partner in the business practice group at Hunton & Williams, where he led the firm’s corporate and securities team in its northern Virginia office. Joe also founded and was president of CGC Software, a software development and consulting company providing microcomputer-based software and solutions to commercial and government entities.

Joe’s professional affiliations include the Virginia State Bar, American Bar Association (Business Law Section), Virginia Bar Association, Fairfax Bar Association and Northern Virginia Technology Council.