DLA Piper sign logo in San Francisco. Photo: Jason Doiy/ALM

DLA Piper represented co-lead investor New Enterprise Associates and investor General Atlantic in connection with robotics company Automation Anywhere's $250 million Series A fundraising. Partner Eric Wang in Silicon Valley and Vinny Sanchez in Los Angeles advised HCL Technologies in its acquisition of eight IBM software products, including Lotus Notes, for $1.8 billion. Partners Bradley Gersich in Silicon Valley and Caryn Smith in Austin, Texas, advised physical resources management company Accruent in connection with its sale to Fortive for $2 billion.

That slate of deals landed DLA as a finalist for the Tech Deal Department of the Year as part of The Recorder's California Leaders in Tech Law and Innovation Awards. Gersich, the co-chair of DLA Piper's Northern California corporate and securities practice, recently told The Recorder about the benefits of being a long-standing Northern California practice housed within a global law firm.

The Recorder: What are the distinguishing characteristics of dealmakers that practice at DLA Piper?

Bradley  Gersich: We've seen it all. On a global basis, we've acted on more M&A deals than any other law firm since January 2005 (source: Mergermarket), and that gives us the depth and breadth of experience to engage in any transaction, of any size or level of complexity, anywhere on the planet. Our decades-long history in Northern California also translates into a style of client service that is responsive, pragmatic and entrepreneurial.

When a client comes to DLA for representation on a deal, what can they expect?

First and foremost, competence and capability, both domestically and internationally. Because of the breadth of our service offering, and the number of representations we get, our team consistently executes effectively and comprehensively. It is the depth of our understanding of "the market" for deals and the industries in which our clients participate that allows us to add value from the term sheet-stage through post-closing integration.

What are the biggest challenges facing your firm in representing tech companies in the current deal climate?

Knowledge management in a firm as large and dynamic as ours requires us to constantly update. Technology companies are inherently global and that means the legal and regulatory environments can be subject to change in each place where they conduct business. We have local lawyers on the ground in most of these places, but making sure that new developments affecting our clients are communicated on a proactive basis to our clients who might be affected is a real challenge. Fortunately, we have organized sector-focused groupings of lawyers from multiple substantive disciplines that work collectively to get the word out.