Cooley LLP

The firm

Cooley’s lawyers solve legal issues for entrepreneurs, investors, financial institutions and established companies. Clients partner with Cooley on transformative deals, complex IP and regulatory matters, and high stakes litigation, often where innovation meets the law. Cooley’s UK practice has strengths across many of its core practice areas, among them corporate/M&A, complex high-stakes litigation, private equity and venture capital, capital markets, tax, technology transactions, IP, insurance and reinsurance, product compliance, competition and privacy.

Cooley has over 1,500 lawyers across 18 offices in the United States, Asia and Europe, and a total workforce of 3,300.

Principal areas of work

Antitrust/EU Competition: The firm advises clients on the full range of EU and UK competition law issues, including competition litigation, merger control, agency investigations, licensing and distribution issues, pricing, abuse of dominance, joint ventures and strategic alliances, market and sector investigations and compliance.

Banking & Finance: The firm represents lenders, borrowers, trustees, and distressed debt investors in connection with cross-border and domestic financing transactions, acquisitions and restructurings.

Capital Markets: Cooley is a global market leader for equity capital markets, particularly in the life sciences and technology sectors. The London practice is led by partners with extensive experience acting on some of the largest equity capital markets transactions in London and across Europe. The firm regularly represents foreign private issuers (FPI) in both transactional and day-to-day legal matters, enabling it to be a strategic advisor to both seasoned and newly public companies in the US and throughout the globe.

Compensation & Benefits: The firm advises clients on the operation of UK, US and international incentive arrangements and remuneration strategies for their employees, directors and consultants and structure and establish a wide variety of equity and cash plans.

Corporate/M&A: Cooley acts on a range of transactions including M&A, corporate finance and private equity and venture growth capital transactions. The team advises trade buyers and multinational corporations on acquisitions and disposals (primarily cross border) of both controlling and non-controlling interests.

Cyber/Data/Privacy: The firm provides multi-disciplinary depth and breadth of experience across a variety of sectors in data protection, privacy and data security compliance, privacy by design, cyber security, data breach management, incident response, breach preparedness, and related litigation, especially in large breaches and those with multi-national issues.

Dispute Resolution: Cooley has a leading general commercial litigation and international arbitration practice. The firm advises companies, governments, state entities and foreign lawyers on the full range of commercial disputes, many of which have a cross-border element. Its lawyers are expert in all forms of dispute resolution and the team includes a specialist white collar crime partner.

Emerging Companies & Venture Capital: Cooley works with startups to launch dynamic new ventures and take them forward. The firm has been at it since the venture industry began, having formed America's first venture fund in Silicon Valley and advise on 1,000+ VC financings annually, with an equal split between investor and company representation.

Employment: The firm advise clients on a range of employment issues such as employee contracts and benefits, service agreements, discrimination, employee intellectual property considerations, and confidentiality and noncompete agreements. It offers capabilities in contentious employment matters, advising on High Court restrictive covenant and trade secret litigation, as well as statutory and contractual claims before employment tribunals.

Insurance, Reinsurance & Insurtech: Providing a full range of legal services to the global insurance and reinsurance industry. Cooley offers full insurance and reinsurance services across the firm’s broad client base, from advice regarding the negotiation and placement of policies, to assisting with claim presentation, negotiation and settlement, to litigating coverage and rescission claims for policyholders, insurers and reinsurers. The firm also has market-leading experience advising companies on insurtech matters.

Intellectual Property: The firm’s patent practice offers clients, particularly in the life sciences sector, on the full range of patent drafting and prosecution services in Europe, EPO opposition work and general patent-related advice including freedom to operate analyses, infringement and validity opinions, due diligence and management of global technology. The trade mark team advises individuals through to multi-national companies, on selection, acquisition, exploitation and enforcement of trade marks, brands and designs.

Life Sciences: The London team works with pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology companies on collaborations, M&A, equity fundings, public offerings and other negotiated transactions, as well as on a wide range of transactional, IP, licensing, regulatory and competition matters within the sector.

Product Compliance & Product Liability: Working within highly regulated industries, including technology, life sciences, cosmetics and consumer products, the team has market-leading experience in managing regulatory investigations, litigation, product recalls, risk assessments and international compliance and liability needs.

Public International Law: The firm provides governments and other clients with advice, assistance and research on a range of subjects that includes sovereign immunity, international boundaries, anti-corruption issues and state asset recovery.

Tax: The firm has a broad corporate advisory and transactional tax practice, advising on UK and international direct and indirect tax issues in relation to corporate, financing, outsourcing and IP transactions and planning.

Technology Transactions: The firm helps clients put together commercial transactions, especially involving technology, digital content and IP. It advises on a wide variety of commercial matters such as: outsourcing projects, technology licensing, distribution, mobile and online commerce, technology JVs, IP asset exploitation, social media and complex services agreements.

White Collar Crime: The practice is best known for providing entrepreneurial fast growth corporate and senior individual clients with seamless white collar advice in joint UK/US investigations. The team acts for business executives in connection with high profile and sensitive white collar crime global investigations instituted by the UK Serious Fraud Office, the UK Financial Conduct Authority and all the primary UK, as well as overseas, enforcement agencies.