Freshfields Launches in Silicon Valley With Partners From Several Elite Firms
The firm has hired from Davis Polk & Wardwell, Sidley Austin, Latham & Watkins and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati for the launch and relocated two of its current partners.
July 01, 2020 at 07:57 AM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Law.com International
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has opened a debut office in Silicon Valley, grabbing five lawyers from U.S. firms for the launch, the firm said in a statement on Wednesday.
The new base will be led by Davis Polk partner Sarah Solum, who joins Freshfields as head of its U.S. capital markets practice.
Solum is a major grab for Freshfields. She joins after 20 years at heavyweight Davis Polk, according to her LinkedIn page.
Sidley Austin partner John Fisher joins as the firm's head of U.S. technology and life sciences M&A. He leaves Sidley after more than six years as a partner at the firm.
The duo are joined in the new venture by Latham & Watkins tax partner Maj Vaseghi and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati partner Boris Feldman and associate Doru Gavril.
Current Freshfields partners Pamela Marcogliese and Alan Ryan are relocating from the firm's New York and Brussels offices, respectively, to Silicon Valley for the launch.
"Silicon Valley is one of the most dynamic regions in the world and it continues to lead innovation across the globe," Freshfields senior partner Edward Braham said in a statement. "The impact and strategic importance of technology and life sciences businesses will only continue to grow and advisers who can provide strategic counsel on key domestic issues within a global context will be highly prized.
"We are thrilled to have five of the country's top corporate and litigation lawyers from the Bay Area join us to deliver the firm and its expertise seamlessly in Northern California."
Freshfields currently operates U.S. offices in New York and Washington, D.C. It has seen mixed fortunes in its attempts to scale up in the U.S. in recent years.
In 2019, it made waves with the hire of a four-partner team led by Ethan Klingberg from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton but suffered a blow to its operations with the departure of U.S. head of M&A and global transactions, Mitchell Presser in April.
In May, it added Latham & Watkins employment partner Lori D. Goodman to its New York base, which followed the departure of Dechert-bound employee benefits and executive compensation partner Howard Klein in January.
Read More
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
'Ridiculously Busy': Several Law Firms Position Themselves as Go-To Experts on Trump’s Executive Orders
5 minute read
Holland & Knight Hires Former Davis Wright Tremaine Managing Partner in Seattle
3 minute read
Am Law 200 Firms Announce Wave of D.C. Hires in White-Collar, Antitrust, Litigation Practices
3 minute read
Paul Hastings Hires Music Industry Practice Chair From Willkie in Los Angeles
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
