Substantive Experience — Transactional
I’ve been a corporate associate in the Silicon Valley office of Latham & Watkins since its inception, which has given me perspective on what makes this place so unique, especially given my particular career path. I’m what is sometimes referred to at Latham as a “boomerang” (meaning I left and came back). After a clerkship in the Ninth Circuit, I started my career as an associate in our Silicon Valley office doing a variety of corporate assignments. After five years I moved to an in-house position at a private equity firm with whom I had worked on numerous transactions. My time there gave me valuable experience and useful insight into client needs and expectations. After a few years I decided I wanted to re-join the law firm ranks, and I knew there was no better place for me than Latham. It was a great feeling to get such a warm welcome back and, since then, it has felt as if I never left.
My days now are pretty diverse as a corporate attorney for emerging growth and other companies. In the morning I may be talking to the founder of a nascent start-up company who needs a basic education on the venture capital world and Delaware corporations, while in the afternoon I could be working on a significant M&A deal that involves a team of lawyers and other transactional specialists across multiple jurisdictions and practice areas. I have to be adaptable enough to work seamlessly in each environment, but that’s what makes it fun—there’s hardly anything cookie-cutter about any particular day. My work includes everything from venture capital financings and general company representation to public and private equity and debt offerings to mergers and acquisitions.
One of the things I appreciate about Latham is that the firm has a resident expert with respect to almost any question I might field from the diverse set of clients with whom I interact. Latham’s collegial atmosphere and ample opportunities to work with different people across the firm give me comfort knowing that even if I might not know an answer, I can easily and efficiently find someone who does. In today's global economy with such fast-moving industry changes, it is nice to be a part of a global firm with diverse resources and expertise to help meet the ever-changing needs of our clients.
As I grow my practice at Latham now as a senior associate, I look forward to continuing to build expertise within my practice area as well as relationships with colleagues in other areas so I can continue to provide top-notch client service in any situation.