King & Spalding announced today that technology and life sciences lawyer Geoffrey P. Leonard has joined King & Spalding’s San Francisco office as a partner with the corporate practice group.
Leonard represents private and public companies as well as private equity, venture capital and investment banking firms on M&A and capital markets transactions. He also advises public and private businesses in the technology and life sciences sectors on securities matters. In addition, he counsels early-stage companies from incorporation through venture funding and final exit, and he advises the investors that finance these companies.
“Geoff expands King & Spalding’s expertise in handling all types of corporate transactions for companies in the tech and life sciences industry in California, increasing our ability to serve the corporate needs of our clients across the country,” said Andy Bayman, co-chair of the firm’s Life Sciences and Healthcare practice. “His relationship with PE and VC firms and his entrepreneurial energy are both great assets as we grow King &Spalding’s tech and life sciences platform and our West Coast offices.”
Leonard’s arrival is the latest in recent additions to King & Spalding’s team in California, especially in the areas of healthcare and life sciences. In August, Stephen Goff, Marcia Augsburger, John Barnes and Leslie Murphy — four highly regarded lawyers focused on healthcare litigation, investigation and regulation — joined the firm as partners in Sacramento. Also in August, the firm welcomed Los Angeles trial lawyer and partner Alex G. Calfo, who is known for trying high-profile product liability matters in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, among others. Senior M&A partner Jack Capers is expected to relocate from the firm’s Atlanta office to the Palo Alto office early next year.
“We’re very pleased with Geoff’s arrival and our growth in the Valley,” said Palo Alto-based partner Judy O’Brien, who heads the firm’s Emerging Company Practice Group. “We had two corporate lawyers in Palo Alto when I joined less than three years ago, and now we have 17 corporate lawyers here, working with our start-up clients and with clients on M&A, private equity, tech transactions and corporate finance matters. Part of the firm’s success is attributable to our ability to connect our California start-up clients with strategic partners from our more traditional global client base.”
Prior to joining King & Spalding, Leonard served for six years as head of Ropes & Gray’s San Francisco office and helped in growing its core corporate practice in both San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Leonard graduated from Trinity College and earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law School, cum laude, where he was an editor of the Law and Policy in International Business Journal. In 2014, he was named “Technology Sector M&A Attorney of the Year in California” by Corporate INTL magazine.
“I am impressed by King & Spalding’s commitment to building its company-side corporate practice in Northern California,” said Leonard. “As more tech companies and VC and PE firms shift their focus to San Francisco, having a strong presence in both Silicon Valley and San Francisco will be important for law firms serving these clients. Because of the focus of my practice, I was attracted to King & Spalding by the depth and scope of the firm’s expertise in representing tech and life sciences companies. I am also impressed with the firm’s successful start-up, M&A and tech transactions practices in Palo Alto and how the firm is using its global platform to represent clients in Northern California.”
Source: www.kslaw.com
