Cooley Recognized as Elite Top-25 Law Firm by Financial Times

New York – December 4, 2012 – Cooley LLP announced today that it has been named by the Financial Times as one of the elite "FT Law 25" firms.  Ranked for the first time, Cooley shares 14th position in the "US Innovative Lawyers 2012" report issued by the Financial Times on November 29.

In the recently released comprehensive annual report, Cooley received particular commendation from FT for two major litigations highlighted in the Intellectual Property section.  Cooley was heralded in two of the top three spots for its work on industry impact cases that were deftly transformed into successful and innovative commercial partnerships for clients Facebook (Yahoo) and Onyx (Bayer).

Cooley represented Facebook in the defense of a high-profile patent litigation brought by Yahoo on the heels of Facebook's IPO filing.  In response, Cooley advised Facebook on the purchase of a critical patent portfolio and the filing of a countersuit, the combination of which ultimately led to a successful resolution and a strategic partnership between the two companies.  Facebook was itself prominently featured in the report's in-house section, acclaimed for, among other elements, its "strategic litigation approaches."

On behalf of Onyx, Cooley "used a dual strategy of litigation and settlement talks" to reach a successful revenue-sharing agreement with Bayer, reported the Financial Times.  It quotes Cooley litigation partner Marty Schenker's description of the ultimate objective for the client: "to take a lawsuit – where most are zero sum games – and craft a creative solution to form a positive result."

The report describes Cooley as a "standout" firm for handling these complex litigations and corporate resolutions, which featured multi-disciplinary teams of leading partners, including litigation partners Steve Neal (Cooley's chairman), Mike Rhodes (litigation department chair), Marty Schenker, Heidi Keefe, Michelle Rhyu, Mark Weinstein and Jeff Gutkin; the head of the firm's technology transactions practice group, Adam Ruttenberg; and corporate partners Robert Jones, Ken Krisko and Marya Postner.

The Financial Times also prominently featured Cooley in the section of its report devoted to "Lawyers to the Innovators" where Cooley ranked sixth.  The report highlighted Cooley's international reputation as a one of the global leaders in the representation of innovative clients throughout the technology and life sciences sectors.  Cooley was commended for "helping technology and life sciences companies grow and seek investment through all stages of their lifecycle, from inception to sale or going public.  The report cites New York-based emerging companies partner Bo Yaghmaie who sums up the Cooley approach: "We partner with business people. We understand the paradigm of the model and the business they are building."

View a reprint of Cooley's coverage in the Financial Times.

About Cooley LLP

Cooley's 700 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, venture capital, clean energy, real estate and retail.

The firm has full-service offices in eleven major business and technology centers: Boston, MA; Broomfield, CO; Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; Palo Alto, CA; Reston, VA; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; Washington, DC; and Shanghai, China.

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