Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati to Open London Office
-- Firm to Provide Expansive US Access and Support for UK Companies and Investors --
-- WSGR has represented more technology companies in venture financings, IPOs, and M&A deals than any other US law firm --
PALO ALTO, California, June 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, announced today that the firm will open an office in London to provide US access and support to UK-based technology and life sciences companies, extending the firm's practice into one of the world's top technology markets.
The firm's London office is scheduled to open on August 1, and it will be located at 41 Old Street, in the heart of London's technology community. The office will be led by Daniel Glazer, a WSGR partner who heads the firm's US expansion practice, and who has represented UK-based companies as US counsel for nearly 20 years.
WSGR plans to continue supporting UK-based start-ups and scale-ups through all stages of their life cycle in the US—from US launch, expansion, and fundraising to US partnerships, M&As, and IPOs. WSGR also will continue connecting UK-based companies and investors to its transatlantic network of capital providers, corporates, and advisors—leveraging the firm's experience in adding value to emerging companies and fostering the growth of tech ecosystems.
"Our firm has maintained its established position in the US as the leading law firm provider to innovative enterprises, dating back to Silicon Valley's formative years, because of our sustained success in helping emerging companies advance through the business life cycle," said Doug Clark, the firm's managing partner. "By opening an office in London, we are extending the many resources we offer to UK-based technology and life sciences companies to help them launch and scale their US operations, raise US capital, and complete cross-border transactions. This is a key milestone for the firm and we are very enthusiastic about the opportunities it will present to our clients and colleagues in London."
WSGR is opening its London office at a time when investment in London technology companies has reached record levels. According to data compiled for London & Partners by PitchBook, venture capital investment into London's technology sector totaled more than $3.3 billion in 2017, nearly twice the 2016 total and up from roughly $100 million in 2010.
"London is a hotbed of innovation and is Europe's leading technology hub," said Rajesh Agrawal, London's Deputy Mayor for Business. "During the recent London Tech Week, we showcased the diversity of the capital's thriving tech ecosystem and our range of fantastic companies in areas such as artificial intelligence and fintech. One of the key reasons global technology companies come to London is for the access to investors, policy makers, regulators, and professional services firms such as Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, all in one place. We welcome this investment into London, which is further proof London is a leading global centre for international technology and legal firms."
WSGR has acted as US counsel to hundreds of UK and other European-based technology and life sciences companies and numerous UK and other European investors. WSGR also regularly represents US investors seeking to deploy capital in UK and other European-based technology and life sciences companies.
"There's no better place to launch a tech or life sciences business than in the UK, and no better place to expand to than the US," said Glazer, who joined WSGR in June 2016. "I am proud and honored to continue providing US support to the UK and the wider European technology and life sciences communities from WSGR's Old Street base in London— the most exciting and progressive technology and start-up market in Europe."
Glazer is a Fellow at Tech Nation (formerly Tech City UK), an organization he has collaborated with since 2012, including on the development of a US expansion and fundraising online library. He was appointed a GlobalScot trade advisor by the Scottish Government, and worked with the US Department of Commerce to develop its "SelectUSA Tech" program to support non-US technology companies with US expansion. Glazer partners with Silicon Valley Comes to the UK, London Stock Exchange ELITE, Tech Nation Future Fifty, Entrepreneur First, RocketSpace, ICE, Seedcamp, the Mayor of London's International Business Programme, TechHub, the London Co-Investment Fund, Techstars, and similar organizations to support US expansion and fundraising efforts by UK companies. Glazer has been recognized by The American Lawyer as its "Transatlantic Innovator of the Year" and identified as one of London's top "International Connectors" by UK Tech News.
"WSGR is the premiere law firm in Silicon Valley, and as such they are well positioned to provide companies in the UK with the strategy and legal advice they need to succeed," said Jaclyn Mason, Head of Trade and Investment at the UK Department for International Trade based in San Francisco. "WSGR is synonymous with Silicon Valley and the tech industry. They have supplemented and expanded tech ecosystems because they have represented so many of the largest and most successful companies. Their knowledge on what you need to succeed is one of many reasons why we welcome this move and look forward to the further success they will bring to the UK."
After opening in London, WSGR will have offices in 15 locations. The firm has 11 offices in the US, including Palo Alto, the center of Silicon Valley; New York, the country's financial center; and Washington, D.C., the country's regulatory center. WSGR's other US locations are in key technology and corporate markets, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Calif.; Boston, Mass.; Wilmington, Del.; Seattle, Wash.; and Austin, Texas. Outside of the US, WSGR also has offices in Brussels, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
For more than 50 years, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has offered a broad range of services and legal disciplines focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leader in the fields of corporate governance and finance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, securities litigation, employment law, intellectual property, and antitrust, among many other areas of law. For more information, please visit www.wsgr.com.
Notes to Editors
WSGR Facts
WSGR Representative IPOs
- Apple
- Box
- Dropbox
- Netflix
- Netscape
- Pixar
- Square
- Sun Microsystems
- Tesla
WSGR Representative M&A Transactions
- Represented AppDynamics in its $3.7 billion acquisition by Cisco
- Represented Genentech in its $48 billion acquisition by Roche
- Represented GoDaddy in its $1.79 billion acquisition of Host Europe Group
- Represented Google in its $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick
- Represented LinkedIn in its $26.2 billion acquisition by Microsoft
- Represented NetSuite in its $9.3 billion acquisition by Oracle
- Represented Pharmacyclics in its $21 billion acquisition by AbbVie
- Represented Sun Microsystems in its $7.8 billion acquisition by Oracle
- Represented Total S.A. in its $1.4 billion acquisition of SunPower
- Represented Yahoo in its $4.83 billion acquisition by Verizon
Other Recent WSGR M&A Transactions
- Represented FanDuel in its merger with Paddy Power Betfair
- Represented MuleSoft in its $6.5 billion acquisition by Salesforce
- Represented KLA-Tencor in its $3.4 billion acquisition of Orbotech
- Represented Microchip Technology in its $8.35 billion acquisition of Microsemi
- Represented Flatiron Health in its $1.9 billion acquisition by Roche
Notable WSGR Corporate Rankings
- WSGR represents more companies that receive venture financing than any other US law firm.
- WSGR is consistently ranked No. 1 based on the number of venture capital deals handled each year. (Dow Jones VentureSource)
- WSGR has advised more US technology companies on IPOs than any other law firm. (Capital IQ)
- WSGR has advised more technology companies on M&A transactions than any other US law firm. (Capital IQ)
- WSGR's life sciences practice was ranked No. 1 in 2016 and 2017 in the Life Sciences Law Firm Index, which identifies the most active and relevant law firms for life sciences companies. (MedCity News)
WSGR Firm Size and Organization
- Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has approximately 750 attorneys.
- WSGR has five practice departments—Antitrust, Corporate, Intellectual Property, Litigation, and Regulatory and Compliance—and more than 50 practice areas.
- The firm advises more than 300 public enterprises and 3,000 private companies.
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