C. Thomas Hopkins

Tom advises public and private companies on strategic corporate and governance matters, drawing on more than three decades of experience counseling businesses ranging from venture-backed startups to mature public companies. His practice spans the full company life cycle, enabling him to bring emerging companies the benefit of lessons learned from established enterprises, while helping later-stage and public companies apply the growth-oriented thinking that drives innovation and long-term success.

A trusted advisor to executives, boards and investors, Tom combines deep legal experience with practical business judgment. He has guided clients through initial public offerings, M&A transactions, equity and debt financings, restructurings, and other transformative events, helping leadership teams anticipate challenges, align stakeholders and navigate complex business and governance decisions. Tom helps clients connect legal strategy with business objectives and long-term growth.

Tom provides strategic oversight across client engagements, serving as a trusted counselor and connector across Cooley. He helps clients access the firm’s collective experience, insights and resources through a highly collaborative, team-based approach.

Clients have included:

• Age of Learning/ABCmouse
• Alation
• Archer Venture Capital
• BAM Ventures
• Bessemer Ventures
• Bison Capital Asset Management
• Black Knight Financial Services
• Boeing
• Cannae Holdings
• Cosm
• CrossnoKaye
• Everbridge
• fal
• Fidelity National Financial
• goPuff
• Haus Labs
• HG Insights
• The Honest Company
• JAMDAT Mobile
• La Brea Bakery 
• LegalZoom
• Life30
• Magnite
• NetEase
• NuSil
• Oberland Capital Management
• OpenTable
• Procore
• Prodege
• QAD 
• com
• Sientra
• WeWork
• Yardi Systems

Representative capital markets representations include:

• Life360
• LegalZoom
• The Honest Company
• Everbridge
• Sientra
• RealD
• Fastclick
• JAMDAT Mobile
• Nitro Software
• QAD

Representative M&A representations include:

• Yardi in its acquisition of WeWork
• Softeye in its sale to TDK
• Everbridge in its acquisition by Thoma Bravo
• LegalZoom in its acquisition of Formation Nation
• Legalzoom in its acquisition by Permira
• HG Insight in its acquisition by Riverwood Capital Partners
• GoPuff in its acquisition of BevMo
• Shoedazzle in its acquisition by JustFab
• Cannae Holdings’ acquisition of The Watkins Company
• Veritone in its acquisition of Broadbean
• Veritone in its divestiture of Veritone One
• Viki in its acquisition by Rakutan
• Shoedazzle’s acquisition by JustFab
• RealD in its acquisition by Rizvi Traverse Management
• Fidelity National Financial in the reorganization and spinoff of Black Knight Financial Services
• Fidelity National in its acquisition of Lender Processing Services (LPS)
• Fidelity National Financial in its acquisition of Digital Insurance
• Fidelity National Financial in its acquisition of Hudson & Marshall
• Fidelity National Financial in its acquisition of T-Systems Holdings
• Fidelity National Financial in its acquisition of SkySlope
• Black Knight Financial Services in its acquisition of eLynx
• JAMDAT Mobile’s acquisition by Electronic Arts
• Boeing’s acquisition of Aviall
• La Brea Bakery’s acquisition by LAWS Group

Representative financing matters include:

• Legalzoom in its secondary investment involving Francisco Partners, GPI Capital, Franklin Templeton and Neuberger Berman
• The Honest Company in its investment by L Catterton
• Prodege in its investment by Great Hill Partners
• CarpeData in its investment by Thomas H. Lee Partners
• goPuff in multiple investments by Softbank

Tom has been recognized in publications including:

• Best Lawyers in America: 2008 – 2019, 2022
• The Legal 500: Recognized – M&A, 2008 – 2009, 2011, 2017
• Los Angeles Business Journal: Who’s Who in L.A. Law, 2011

Before joining Cooley, Tom was a partner at a Los Angeles-based international law firm from 2001 to 2013, where he co-chaired the global corporate and securities practice group from 2011 to 2013. Before that, he practiced at a New York-based multinational law firm.