Cooley Godward Kronish LLP has lost three of its top deal lawyers, with the news late Tuesday that Rick Climan, Keith Flaum and Eric Reifschneider have left to join the Silicon Valley office of Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP.
Climan, who led Cooley's M&A practice, has worked on some high-profile technology and pharma deals. Recently he
advised Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) on its $1.4 billion agreement to acquire CV Therapeutics Inc. after working on several other deals for the company. Last year he
provided legal counsel to Brocade Communications Systems Inc.'s (NASDAQ:BRCD) $3 billion purchase of Foundry Networks Inc. Going further back, he led a Cooley team for eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) in 2005 when it acquired Skype Technologies SA for $4.1 billion.
Flaum was also a corporate securities lawyer at the firm and worked on many big transactions; Reifschneider is a top-notch
intellectual property lawyer.
It was a surprise move for the trio, but, as Climan told the
The New York Times' DealBook blog, there was no ill will that drove them away from Cooley and into the Dewey fold; he described it as "a great opportunity." Climan said that the Cooley team will add technology expertise to Dewey's strengths in energy and finance.
Check back with The Deal later Wednesday for more on Climan's, Flaum's and Reifschneider's move.
- Olaf de Senerpont Domis For more dealmaker news, see The Deal's Movers & Shakers
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