Fenwick Partners Are National “Gold Standard” for M&A: Legal 500

Two Fenwick corporate partners have been named to Legal 500’s M&A Powerlist: United States 2024—the “definitive list of the leading M&A counsel in the U.S. today.”

Partner Doug Cogen and partner emeritus Gordy Davidson made the list for California, alongside only 27 other lawyers, solidifying their places among “gold standard” practitioners in the Golden State and nationwide.

Chosen by Legal 500 researchers in consultation with leading M&A practitioners and general counsel active in the market, the corporate/M&A rankings are “one of the most competitive areas” that Legal 500 tracks, the publication said, noting that many who achieved power list status like Doug and Gordy did so for their “multidisciplinary approach” to today’s dynamic M&A landscape.

Doug was lauded as “one of the nation’s leading M&A lawyers,” with Legal 500 citing his considerable experience in a range of cross-border tech and life sciences transactions with an aggregate deal value of over $225 billion. The publication also noted his outsize influence as lead counsel on “many industry-reshaping deals in the technology sector,” highlighting his work on more than 200 transactions for Cisco Systems, as well as major transactions in the life sciences industry including Loxo Oncology’s $8 billion acquisition by Eli Lilly and Chinook Therapeutics’ $3.5 billion acquisition by Novartis.

Gordy earned commendations for his decades-long record advising high-tech and life sciences companies ranging from startups to Fortune 100, including acting as lead counsel on more than 100 mergers and acquisitions with an aggregate value of over $75 billion. Legal 500 also cited his leadership, as firm chair for 18 years, as well as through various teaching and speaking engagements, including at the PLI and Northwestern Securities Regulation Institutes, Stanford Directors’ College, and Stanford Law School.

About Fenwick

Fenwick is a leading law firm, purpose-built to guide visionary tech and life sciences companies and their investors through every stage of growth, from startups securing their first round of funding to leading publicly-traded global enterprises. As one of Silicon Valley’s original legal practices, today we have over 500 lawyers, patent agents, engineers and scientists serving clients from seven offices located in innovation hubs across the United States and China. Named 2023 Life Sciences Practice Group of the Year by Law360, we are consistently ranked a Chambers first-tier firm for delivering the deep experience and technical skill that help innovators at the forefront of their industries redefine what’s possible. Visit www.fenwick.com to learn more.