Boston — July 16, 2007 — LAWFUEL – The Law Firm Newswire – Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, a national leader in representing technology and life sciences companies and litigating high-stakes commercial and intellectual property disputes, announced today it has opened an office in Boston. With the arrival of 10 Boston-based partners from several national firms with Boston offices, Cooley will establish a significant New England presence with market-leading expertise in emerging and public companies, life sciences, venture and private equity fund representation, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property and commercial litigation. The Firm anticipates additional attorneys joining in the coming weeks.
“Boston is one of the leading technology and life science centers in the world and, given Cooley’s strength and leadership in these sectors, this is a natural market for the Firm’s expansion,” said Stephen C. Neal, chairman and CEO of Cooley. “A Boston office has long been part of Cooley’s strategic plan and our knowledge of the marketplace gained over years of substantial activity here enabled us to identify and recruit a group of first-class attorneys. We could not be in a better position to hit the ground running.”
John Hession and Lester J. Fagen, two well-recognized corporate attorneys with a combined 50 years of practice in Boston, will lead the new office. Hession, who will serve as the partner in charge, is one of the leading emerging companies and venture capital attorneys in the country and joins Cooley from the Boston office of McDermott Will & Emery. Fagen, a seasoned private equity and venture capital attorney with a diverse corporate and investor client base, will lead Cooley’s business and technology practice in Boston and its private equity practice firmwide. He joins Cooley from the Boston office of Goulston & Storrs.
In addition to Hession and Fagen in the corporate practice, Alfred L. Browne, III joins from Sullivan & Worcester where he was chair of the venture capital/emerging companies group; Miguel J. Vega, also from Sullivan & Worcester, where he was a co-director of the corporate department; Patrick J. Mitchell, a director at Goulston & Storrs, who focuses on private equity and venture capital; and Marc Recht a partner in the corporate department at McDermott Will & Emery.
The intellectual property practice includes Thomas C. Meyers, who was chair of the intellectual property department at Sullivan & Worcester’s Boston office and recently general counsel of Helicos BioSciences Corporation, and Robert J. Tosti, who was a partner in Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge’s intellectual property practice group.
The Boston office’s litigation group will include Richard S. Sanders, joining from Sullivan & Worcester, where he was chair of the technology litigation practice, and Robert B. Lovett, a partner in the securities and financial litigation group at Seyfarth Shaw.
Cooley’s new Boston team all were at one point in their careers with Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, LLP, Boston’s leading technology and life sciences firm until its dissolution in 2005. The partners have a wealth of experience representing companies in financings, initial public offerings, merger and acquisition transactions, and major litigations, representing clients in some of the most significant matters in the region collectively valued in the multiple billions of dollars.
Commented Hession, “By virtue of its national reputation and strategic focus on technology and life sciences, Cooley will fill a gap in the Boston legal market. To become a part of this great firm, and to be joining with former colleagues I profoundly admire both as friends and practitioners, is an incredible opportunity.”
“New England is not a ‘new’ market for Cooley,” said Barbara Kosacz, head of the Firm’s life sciences practice. “We have had an active presence here for many years through our work with market-leading life science companies and venture funds, and last year Cooley was ranked second in the Eastern U.S. for our representation of venture-backed companies.”
The opening of a Boston office marks Cooley’s continued expansion on the East Coast. Last fall, Cooley merged with premier New York firm Kronish Lieb Weiner & Hellman, establishing a full-service office in Manhattan which offers clients substantial capabilities across critical practice areas including financial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, high-profile litigation, bankruptcy, tax and real estate. Cooley opened an office in Washington, DC in September 2005 and currently has more than 30 attorneys there, including leading attorneys in corporate law, government contracts and intellectual property litigation. As a result of robust growth in that market, the Firm will move to expanded office space this September.
Cooley’s Boston office occupies the 46th floor of The Prudential Tower, located in Boston’s Back Bay.
About Cooley Godward Kronish LLP
Cooley Godward Kronish’s 600 attorneys have an entrepreneurial spirit and deep, substantive experience, and are committed to solving clients’ most challenging legal matters. From small companies with big ideas to international enterprises with diverse legal needs, Cooley has the breadth of legal resources to enable companies of all sizes to seize opportunities in today’s global marketplace. The firm represents clients across a broad array of dynamic industry sectors, including technology, life sciences, financial services, retail and energy.
The firm has full-service offices in major commercial, government and technology centers: Palo Alto, CA, New York, NY, San Diego CA, San Francisco, CA, Reston, VA, Broomfield, CO, Washington, DC and Boston, MA.
For additional information, please visit www.cooley.com.
Expanded Biographies
Alfred L. Browne III. Prior to joining Cooley as a partner in the business department, Mr. Browne was a partner and chair of the venture capital/emerging companies group at Sullivan & Worcester in Boston. His practice focuses on the representation of technology companies and venture funds. Mr. Browne’s representative clients include software, telecom, datacom and alternative and clean energy companies, in addition to several well-known venture capital funds. His client work includes mergers and acquisitions, buyouts, technology transactions, debt and equity financings and venture capital investments. He previously served as general counsel for a venture-backed telecom company. Mr. Browne was named a “Rising Star” by Massachusetts Super Lawyers in 2006 and 2007. He earned a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, magna cum laude, from Tufts University, and his J.D. from University of Virginia School of Law.
Lester J. Fagen. Mr. Fagen will lead Cooley’s business and technology practice in Boston and its private equity practice firmwide. He joins Cooley from Goulston & Storrs, and has 25 years of experience representing private and public companies in all phases of their development. He represents private equity and venture capital funds and investors, and has been the lead attorney on many complex investments and leveraged acquisitions. Mr. Fagen was named a leading venture capital law attorney in 2007 by Best Lawyers in America, was recognized by Chambers USA as a leading lawyer in corporate/M&A and private equity, and was named a Top 100 Lawyer by Massachusetts Super Lawyers in 2004. He earned a B.A., magna cum laude, from Amherst College, and a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.
John Hession. Mr. Hession will be the partner in charge of Cooley’s new Boston office. He joins Cooley from McDermott Will & Emery, where he was a member of the Firm’s business department. He has focused on private equity funding and the representation of both emerging-growth companies and public companies for 25 years. He works primarily in the medical device, information technology and life sciences fields as well as with venture capitalists and angel investors. Mr. Hession has been acclaimed repeatedly by Chambers USA as a leading lawyer in the fields of venture capital and private equity, was named a Top 100 Lawyer by Massachusetts Super Lawyers for the last several years, and was recently named by Lawdragon as “one of the top 500 dealmakers in the U.S.” Mr. Hession earned a B.A., summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Notre Dame, and a J.D., cum laude, from Boston College Law School.
Robert B. Lovett. Mr. Lovett is a litigation partner in the Boston office of Seyfarth Shaw, LLP, where he concentrates in securities, financial and other commercial litigation. Prior to joining Seyfarth, Mr. Lovett was a partner in the litigation group of Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, LLP, where he practiced for 13 years. He will join the commercial litigation practice group at Cooley, where he will continue to focus on all aspects of complex business litigation and trial work for publicly held and private businesses. Mr. Lovett also served as a Special Assistant District Attorney in Massachusetts. He earned his B.A., cum laude, from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and a J.D., cum laude, from Tulane Law School, where among other honors, he was a member of the ALI/ABA National Trial Team.
Thomas C. Meyers. Prior to joining Cooley as a partner in the Firm’s patent and intellectual property group, Mr. Meyers was a partner and chair of the intellectual property department in Sullivan & Worcester’s Boston office. Mr. Meyers has 16 years of experience representing pharmaceutical, life science, and biotechnology companies and has written and spoken extensively on strategic planning, partnering and patent matters. Previously, he was vice president and general counsel of Helicos BioSciences Corporation, where he directed and implemented patent and legal strategies. Prior to that he was a partner at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, where he led that firm’s life science initiative. He is also an adjunct Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School. Mr. Meyers earned his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law.
Patrick J. Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell will join Cooley as a partner in the Firm’s business department from Goulston & Storrs in Boston, where he is a director. Mr. Mitchell practices in the areas of private equity, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate law. He counsels technology and growth companies in various industries, including software, wireless, media and biotech. Mr. Mitchell was recognized this year by Chambers USA as a leader in corporate/M&A law and was named a “Rising Star” by Massachusetts Super Lawyers 2005 through 2007. He earned his B.A. from University of Massachusetts, Amherst and his J.D. from the UCLA School of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif.
Marc Recht. Mr. Recht is a partner with McDermott Will & Emery, and is joining Cooley as a partner in the Firm’s Business department. He focuses on securities regulation and public and private transactional work, including public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity and venture capital financing, primarily for the life science and biotech industries. Mr. Recht was named a “Rising Star” this year by Massachusetts Super Lawyers. He earned his B.A. with honors from Brandeis University and earned a J.D., magna cum laude, from Boston College Law School, where he was the articles editor and a staff writer for the Third World Law Journal.
Richard S. Sanders. Prior to joining Cooley as a partner in the litigation department, Mr. Sanders was a partner in the litigation practice group and chair of the technology litigation practice group at Sullivan & Worcester. He specializes in all areas of intellectual property and commercial litigation. Mr. Sanders represents both U.S. and international businesses in North America, Asia and Europe in U.S. litigation, arbitration, and mediation, and advises businesses on pre-litigation risk management. He has lectured around the world on the practical aspects of U.S. litigation, and was named a “Rising Star” by Massachusetts Super Lawyers in 2005 and 2006. He earned a B.S. in Physiology, and an M.S. in Immunopathology from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and earned a B.C.L. and LL.B., with honors, from McGill University Faculty of Law, where he was a Faculty Scholar.
Robert J. Tosti. Mr. Tosti joins Cooley as a partner in the intellectual property practice, and was previously a partner in the intellectual property practice group at Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge in Boston. His practice focuses on patent and trademark prosecution, portfolio development, licensing, and the assessment and enforcement of intellectual property rights. Mr. Tosti has more than 15 years of experience handling patent and other intellectual property matters. He is experienced in a variety of technologies including software, business methods, semiconductors, networks, and medical devices. He taught at Suffolk University Law School as an adjunct professor, and he has been recognized as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer. Mr. Tosti earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering, cum laude, and his M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, both from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and earned his J.D., cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School.
Miguel J. Vega. Mr. Vega joins Cooley from Sullivan & Worcester in Boston, where he was a partner and co-director of the corporate department. He is a partner in Cooley’s business department. His practice focuses on the representation of both private and public companies at all stages of development and their sources of capital. His representative clients include software, telecom, information services and life sciences companies on which he advises on an array of compliance, mergers and acquisitions, securities, and partnership matters. Mr. Vega also works closely with venture capital firms advising them on their investments in both early and late stage operations. He earned his B.S., cum laude, from Boston College, and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.
