Finalists: Berwin Leighton Paisner; Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft; Dentons (joint winner); DLA Piper; Magnusson; Paul Hastings; Reed Smith (highly commended).

Joint-winner of the International Law Firm Innovation award, Cooley has carved out a reputation as the go-to law firm for tech companies, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists from its Palo Alto headquarters in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Now the firm is branching out, opening its first European office in London last year – allowing it to better serve the city's fast-growing fintech industry. The move also marked a push to boost the global reach of Cooley GO, an online resource centre that provides free online tools, business guides and corporate advice to help the startup community navigate the complex regulatory challenges and disputes that are so often a by-product of rapid tech innovation.

The content is tailored for companies of all sizes and at all stages of the growth cycle, granting quick and easy access to the firm's extensive Silicon Valley-honed expertise.

Javier Soltero, co-founder of mobile email app developer Acompli, said: "Building great companies requires more than just a great product. The choices you make in employment, governance and operations all require knowledge that isn't typically easy to find. Cooley GO provides an amazingly rich library of content to help entrepreneurs make better decisions."

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