Cooley launches in London with more than 55 lawyers from MoFo and Edwards Wildman
A Silicon Valley powerhouse has opened its first European office, raiding two U.S. competitors to create a team of more than 55 lawyers in London.
The new office of the 850-attorney firm is headed by the now-former chief of Morrison & Foerster’s corporate practice in London, Justin Stock. Another four MoFo partners and 14 from Edwards Wildman Palmer are also on the attorney roster, along with more than 35 lawyers from the two firms as well as Cooley business practice leader Ryan Naftulin.
Naftulin is relocating from Washington, D.C., where he served as chief of that office, to be the liaison partner for the London office, according to Bloomberg.
“We’re not coming over here to be a general practice firm,” Cooley CEO Joe Conroy tells the Am Law Daily. “We think the compelling market opportunity for us is to be the premier firm focused on technology, life sciences and complex, high-stakes litigation.”
As part of the arrangement, Cooley took on the London office of Edwards Wildman, as well as 90 percent of the staff there, the Insurance Insider (sub. req.) reports.
However, 10 Edwards Wildman firm attorneys are joining Locke Lord as part of that firm’s almost simultaneous merger with Edwards Wildman, Jerry Clements, the Locke Lord chair, told the Am Law Daily. The result will be a London office for Locke Lord that is almost the size of Cooley’s.
A Cooley law firm page about the London launch provides more information.
Related coverage:
The Recorder (sub. req.): “The Logic Behind Cooley’s London Call”
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Locke Lord and Edwards Wildman to merge into 1,000-attorney firm”
