PALO ALTO — The law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati announced that the firm has elected 20 new partners from its attorney ranks. The promotions will be effective February 1, 2024.
“While each class is unique in many ways, we believe each group reflects the strengths and diversity of our talent pipeline,” said Doug Clark, Wilson Sonsini’s managing partner. “Our 2024 class is defined—individually and collectively—by experience, proven expertise, impressive accomplishments, and client service excellence. We are delighted to welcome them to the partnership and look forward to their continued leadership and success in the years ahead.”
With deep roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini has 19 offices in technology and business hubs worldwide.
The 2024 partners-elect are:
Brian Appel, Corporate. Based in Palo Alto, Appel advises companies on general corporate matters, including formation and operation, corporate governance, debt and equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, and securities-related matters. He has a particular industry focus on companies in the medical device, diagnostic, and digital health sectors. Appel received his J.D. from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
Joshua Baskin, Litigation. Based in San Francisco, Baskin focuses on intellectual property and commercial litigation, as well as trial practice. He has significant jury trial experience in federal courts across the U.S., including disputes involving trade secrets, breach of contract, unfair competition, and patents. Baskin also has substantial trial experience, including using technology to streamline trial preparation and develop visuals and demonstrations that aid comprehension of complex issues. He received his J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.
Kassandra Castillo, Corporate. Based in San Diego, Castillo serves as outside general counsel to life sciences and technology companies at all stages of development. She counsels entrepreneurs on company formation issues, corporate governance matters, venture capital financings, and liquidity events. Castillo also advises venture capital funds on structuring and executing investment transactions and managing their existing portfolio companies. She received her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law.
Brendan Coffman, Antitrust and Competition. Based in Washington, D.C., Coffman is a full-service antitrust lawyer that represents companies in connection with mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, government investigations, private litigation, and distribution practices. His clients include both established and emerging firms in life sciences and pharmaceuticals; semiconductors and connectivity; technology, including electronic gaming and entertainment; ridesharing and ADAS/Autonomous Driving; and financial services. Coffman received his J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law.
Ross Davies, Corporate. Based in London, Davies advises clients on structuring, negotiating, and executing public and private mergers and acquisitions; private equity and alternative investment transactions; venture capital financings; joint ventures; and stock exchange and corporate governance matters. He has extensive international experience counseling clients on strategic cross-border corporate transactions across a broad range of sectors, including technology, financial services, media, energy, and life sciences. Davies holds a B.A. (Hons) from the University of Oxford and completed his GDL and LPC at BPP University in London.
Matt Gorman, Litigation. Based in Boston, Gorman focuses his practice on representing companies in employment-related disputes, particularly those involving employee mobility issues and the protection of trade secrets. He also regularly counsels employers on hiring practices, employee and contractor classification, employment policies, employment contracts, terminations, and other issues that arise under federal, state, and local labor and employment laws. Gorman received his J.D. from New York University School of Law.
Gordon Grafft, Corporate. Based in Palo Alto, Grafft focuses his practice on corporate and securities transactions, representing clients in the technology sector. His clients include public companies, late-stage private companies, and investment funds. He regularly represents companies across all aspects of their life cycle, including with respect to corporate governance, SEC compliance, public offerings, and private financings. Grafft received his J.D. from Stanford Law School.
Tina Hanson, Litigation. Based in San Francisco, Hanson focuses her practice on intellectual property litigation, with an emphasis on life sciences and pharmaceutical patent matters, including those arising under the Hatch-Waxman Act. She represents clients in a variety of litigation matters, from pre-trial strategy counseling through litigation appeals. Hanson received her J.D. from Tulane Law School.
Michael Klippert, Employee Benefits and Compensation. Based in Palo Alto, Klippert represents private and public technology and life science companies with respect to the design, drafting, and administration of equity-based compensation programs; retention, severance, change in control, and deferred compensation arrangements; and the associated tax and securities law implications. He also has extensive experience providing employee benefits and compensation advice related to mergers and acquisitions as well as capital markets transactions. Klippert received his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and an LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law.
Laurie McNamara, Patents and Innovations. Based in San Diego, Dr. McNamara focuses her practice on various aspects of intellectual property law for clients in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. She provides strategic counseling for clients related to patent prosecution, diligence, freedom to operate, patentability, invalidity, and non-infringement analyses. Dr. McNamara has counseled clients in a variety of intellectual property areas, including antibodies, small molecule pharmaceuticals, proteomics, and CRISPR technologies. She received her J.D. from California Western School of Law and Ph.D. from Northwestern University.
Brandon Middleton-Pratt, Corporate. Based in Austin, Middleton-Pratt represents clients in mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, and venture capital financings. He also advises entrepreneurs and start-ups on a broad range of issues relevant to high-growth companies, including company formation, capitalization structure, equity compensation arrangements for founders and employees, and negotiations with investors and acquirers. Middleton-Pratt received his J.D. from Boston University School of Law.
Rachel Nagashima, Corporate. Based in Palo Alto, Nagashima advises both public and private companies on general corporate and transactional matters, with an emphasis on capital markets transactions and public company representation. Her practice includes advising clients on capital markets transactions, public company disclosure matters, corporate governance issues, and venture financings. She received her J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School.
Rachael Racine, Antitrust and Competition. Based in New York, Racine represents clients in high-profile and complex antitrust litigation, with a focus on the technology sector. She has broad experience in all aspects of antitrust litigation from pre-complaint through to trial. Her practice also includes civil litigation and government investigations. Prior to joining the firm, Racine served as a law clerk to the Honorable Laura Taylor Swain of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She received her J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law.
Nathan Robinson, Corporate. Based in Salt Lake City, Robinson specializes in corporate and securities law, advising clients on general corporate matters and transactions including public offerings, private placements, and mergers and acquisitions. He has significant experience representing technology and life science companies with public company disclosure, reporting, and corporate governance matters, and representing both companies and investment banks in capital markets transactions. Robinson received his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.
Derrick Rowe, Patents and Innovations. Based in Washington, D.C., Dr. Rowe focuses his practice on patent prosecution and counseling designed to help clients protect their intellectual property rights both domestically and internationally. His clients include companies in the life sciences, biotechnology, molecular biology, pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and medical device fields. Dr. Rowe received his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and his Ph.D. from the University of South Florida.
David Sharon, Corporate. Based in New York, Sharon provides corporate and securities representation to both public and private companies across all stages of growth. His broad capital markets experience includes initial public, follow-on, and secondary equity offerings, as well as private investment in public equity (PIPE) transactions. He also counsels public companies on SEC compliance, disclosure matters, listing standards, and complex securities law issues. Sharon received his J.D. from Cornell Law School and M.B.A. from the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.
Ross Tanaka, Mergers and Acquisitions. Based in Seattle, Tanaka focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and other related corporate and securities law matters. His transactional experience includes U.S. and cross-border mergers, business combinations, asset and stock purchases, special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) transactions, divestitures, carve-outs and spin-off transactions, financing transactions, joint ventures, and other strategic transactions for both public and private companies. Tanaka received his J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law.
Nikolaos Theodorakis, Privacy and Cybersecurity. Based in Brussels, Theodorakis regularly counsels clients on matters of EU data protection law, GDPR compliance and preparedness, cybersecurity, advertising, and marketing. He has significant experience counseling clients on privacy and data protection issues in transactional matters. Theodorakis offers a full range of services that includes both non-contentious matters and investigations with supervisory authorities. He received his J.D. from the University of Athens and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge.
Sean Withall, Technology Transactions. Based in Palo Alto, Withall has deep experience structuring and negotiating complex commercial transactions, including joint development deals, global distribution arrangements, and licenses to large data sets, for technology companies of all sizes. He also counsels clients on a variety of other commercial and intellectual property transactions, including customer, supply, and distribution agreements, intellectual property licenses, and manufacturing agreements. Withall received his J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Lisa Zang, Litigation. Based in Century City, Zang represents companies ranging from start-ups to industry leaders, as well as nonprofit institutions, in complex trade secrets, patent, copyright, and other intellectual property and commercial litigation matters. She has successfully litigated cases for clients in a variety of industries, including the software, electronics, communications, entertainment, music streaming, biotech, healthcare, life sciences, medical devices, and pharmaceutical sectors. Zang received her J.D. from UCLA School of Law and B.S. from the California Institute of Technology.
