Cooley Strengthens UK Emerging Companies Practice

London – 8 September, 2015 – Cooley's London expansion continues with the arrival of Paula Holland and a corporate team from WilmerHale. Holland will join Cooley as a partner in its business department and member of the firm's compensation and benefits practice, focusing on helping clients in the startup and VC communities. Two experienced corporate associates, Tamsin Crane and Ciaran Rooney, also from WilmerHale, will complete the team move.

Holland and team have a robust UK and international practice focusing primarily on tech and life sciences companies, with in depth experience handling equity incentive issues, public and private M&A, VC financings, private equity deals and IPOs out of London and New York. They have deep knowledge of remuneration strategies on both sides of the Atlantic, and they provide advice to companies with UK and US operations, regularly advising them on the tax, labor and securities laws aspects of international equity arrangements.

"With London's flourishing tech sector and Cooley's inherent strengths working alongside startups, VCs and private equity firms, Paula's practice will be a tremendous value-add in London," said Justin Stock, managing partner of Cooley's London office. "Her multifaceted experience will offer significant opportunities for transatlantic collaboration in Cooley's core areas of tech, life sciences and VC investment. I'm excited for her dynamic team to integrate and help further propel this practice forward."

"Cooley's dedication to the UK market has been enticing to watch over the course of this year," Holland said. "The opportunity to bring a team over to such a vibrant office makes great sense, and I'm excited about what we can achieve together as London continues to blossom as a European hub of tech, innovation and opportunity. Going forward, our clients will get the benefit of a truly ‘venture ambidextrous' approach to growing startups and tapping investment and opportunity on both sides of the Atlantic. Cooley is unique in this market in combining full-service English law capabilities with Palo Alto sensibilities and connections."

Holland is the fifth lateral partner to join Cooley's London office since launching in January 2015 with more than 50 lawyers. Since then, Cooley has announced the hiring of private equity partner Stephen Rosen and tax partner Natasha Kaye, both from Olswang, plus life sciences partners Nicola Maguire and John Wilkinson from Reed Smith. Cooley recently augmented its IP and life sciences strengths with a UK patent prosecution team from Mintz Levin. Among several groundbreaking deals in sectors including tech and renewable energy, last month Cooley's London and Boston offices teamed up to advise on the largest ever private financing for a European biotech company.

About Cooley LLP

High-growth and established companies, investors and investment banks focused on technology and life sciences partner with Cooley on transformative deals and high-stakes matters, where innovation meets the law.

Cooley has 850 lawyers across 12 offices in the United States, China and Europe.

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