Cooley Grows Los Angeles Office with Leading Corporate Hires

Los Angeles, Calif. – February 19, 2013 – Cooley LLP announced today that C. Thomas Hopkins and Ian Smith have joined the firm's Business department as partners in its Los Angeles office. Both Hopkins and Smith join Cooley from Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP. Hopkins joined Sheppard as a partner in 2001, and co-chaired the firm's global corporate practice group. Smith also joined Sheppard in 2001 and became a partner in 2008.

Hopkins has a broad corporate practice focused on public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and the representation of public and private companies on governance and a variety of other general corporate legal matters.

Smith has extensive experience in venture capital, mergers and acquisitions and the representation of growth companies in a variety of sectors including media and technology.

"Ian and I are excited to be part of Cooley's efforts to grow their Greater Los Angeles presence and capitalize on the firm's strengths in technology, media and venture capital," said Hopkins.

"Cooley believed in the momentum we could create in the Los Angeles market and the arrival of two such capable partners demonstrates this well," said Fred Muto, chair of Cooley's Business department. "They are a great addition to our dynamic Los Angeles team."

Hopkins received his B.A. from American University and his J.D. from University of Southern California where he was elected to Order of the Coif and was the Notes Editor for the University of Southern California Law Review. Smith received his B.S. with honors from the Art Center College of Design and his J.D. from the University of Southern California.

Since opening the Los Angeles office in July 2012 with four founding partners, Cooley has added eleven attorneys. The office, which recently moved to a larger, permanent location in Santa Monica, is expected to continue to grow in 2013 as it continues to pursue its full-service strategic growth objectives.

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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