Cooley LLP
Cooley LLP is an American law firm founded in San Francisco in the 1920s and known for its work with technology and life sciences companies and venture capital investors, with nearly 1,400 lawyers in 19 offices across the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States is a federal country in North America made up of 50 states, the District of Columbia as the seat of government, and territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam; its capital is Washington, D.C. The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The 2020 census (April 1, 2020) counted a resident population of 331,449,281, and the 435 seats of the House of Representatives are apportioned among the states on the basis of the census.Open the full entry, Asia and Europe. NVIDIANVIDIANVIDIA is an American semiconductor and computing technology company that provides graphics processing units, artificial intelligence infrastructure, networking interconnects, and computing software, and is listed on Nasdaq under the ticker NVDA.Open the full entry lead director Stephen C. NealStephen C. NealStephen C. Neal is an American trial lawyer and chairman emeritus and senior counsel of Cooley LLP, where he was chief executive from 2001 to 2008. He has served on the NVIDIA board since 2019 as its lead independent director and previously chaired Levi Strauss & Co.Open the full entry is a former chief executive and chairman of the firm and now its chairman emeritus.
Contents7 sections
Key facts
1920sFounded in San Francisco
Cooley’s history timeline says the firm was founded in the 1920s in the Humboldt Bank Building on Market Street in San Francisco; in the 1950s it advised on the formation of Raychem and National Semiconductor, entering the early technology industry; and in 1958 it formed Draper, Gaither and Anderson, the first venture capital partnership on the West Coast.[1]
1969–1984James C. Gaither and the Silicon Valley Practice
James C. Gaither joined Cooley in 1969, working on venture capital fund formation, and became managing partner in 1984; a Stanford Law SchoolStanford Law SchoolStanford Law School is Stanford University’s law school. Its law curriculum began in 1893, and it offers JD and advanced law degrees. Its alumni include technology-media entrepreneur Michael Arrington.Open the full entry magazine interview says he focused the firm on emerging companies and hired Steve Neal to build its litigation practice. The firm’s timeline records that it opened its first Silicon Valley office in 1980 and took Genentech and Amgen public in the 1980s.[2][1]
1992–2023Expanding the Office Network
The timeline lists the firm taking QualcommQualcommQualcomm is a semiconductor and wireless technology company headquartered in San Diego, California. Founded in 1985 by Irwin Jacobs and six other former Linkabit colleagues, it built its business on CDMA technology and now rests on two pillars: its Snapdragon chip platforms and the licensing of cellular standard-essential patents. It has faced antitrust investigations and litigation in many jurisdictions, and in recent years has expanded into automotive, IoT, PCs and AI data centers.Open the full entry public and opening in San Diego in 1992, merging with the New York office of Kronish Lieb Weiner & Hellman in 2006, opening in London in 2015 and Beijing in 2018, starting its centennial with a Singapore office in 2020, launching in Chicago in 2021 and opening in Miami in 2023.[1]
2001–2008Stephen C. Neal as Chief Executive
NVIDIA’s 2019 announcement states that Stephen C. Neal had been a Cooley partner since 1995 and its chairman since 2001, also serving as chief executive from 2001 to 2008, after earlier being a partner at Kirkland & Ellis. NVIDIA’s board page describes him as chairman emeritus and senior counsel of Cooley LLP.[3]
Today: Size and Practice
Cooley’s website says the firm has nearly 1,400 lawyers and more than 400 partners in 19 offices across the United States, Asia and Europe, with a total workforce of more than 3,000 and Rachel Proffitt as chief executive; its practice spans corporate, litigation, regulatory and intellectual property work, and it calls itself the top law firm for technology and life sciences IPOs.[4]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Cooley LLP: Official website: https://www.cooley.com/ (opens in a new window).[4]
LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cooleyllp (opens in a new window).[1]
Sources
- Visual timeline of firm history // Cooley // Global Law Firm (opens in a new window)
- On Government Service, Silicon Valley and the Law: James C. Gaither, legendary Silicon Valley lawyer and VC, in conversation with Professor Robert Daines (opens in a new window)
- NVIDIA Names Stephen Neal to Board of Directors (opens in a new window)
- About Cooley // Cooley // Global Law Firm (opens in a new window)