Cooley’s London managing partner Justin Stock has left the firm to join Akin as international technology practice head, along with two other partners.
Akin has hired three partners from Cooley into its London office. Cooley London managing partner Justin Stock will move to the firm alongside Stephen Rosen, a Legal 500 Hall of Famer for mid-market private equity transactions who headed Cooley’s London corporate practice, and technology transactions partner David Bresnick.
Stock will join Akin as international technology practice head, and will work with Rosen and Bresnick to deepen Akin’s strength in tech transactions.
‘Justin, Stephen and David’s outstanding reputations in the market, coupled with their extensive transactional experience in high growth sectors such as technology and life sciences, significantly enhance our global corporate platform,’ said Akin chair Kim Koopersmith in a statement.
‘Their addition underscores our commitment to our technology focused clients and more broadly to the technology sector both in London and globally, ensuring we continue to provide unmatched client service.’
Akin London partner in charge Sebastian Rice added: ‘The arrival of Justin, Stephen and David is a significant step for our London office and gives Akin a market-leading global technology transactions team, focusing on clients in innovative industries including disruptive commerce, technology, health care, life sciences, data, data privacy, gaming and energy transition. We are particularly excited about their capabilities to grow the tech M&A pipeline and adding depth to our global technology practice.’
Back in February, Cooley also saw the departure of M&A partner Michal Berkner who left for McDermott Will & Emery’s transaction practice.
Stock led a five-partner Morrison Foerster team to Cooley in January 2015 as part of Cooley’s London office launch. Bresnick moved with Stock from Morrison Foerster, while Rosen came to Cooley from Olswang in May 2016. Only one of Cooley’s 2015 Morrison Foerster hires remains at the firm: Chris Coulter. Ed Lukins went to Orrick in 2019 and Nicholas Bolter left for Morgan Lewis in 2020.
Akin, meanwhile, first launched in London in 1997, and burst onto the scene in earnest in 2014 with a 22-partner hire from Bingham McCutchen, which collapsed in 2015.
The departures bring Cooley’s London partner headcount down to 30, according to the firm’s website.
‘We thank Justin, Stephen and David for their contributions and wish them well in the future. We look forward to continuing our ambitious growth plans in London, serving some of the world’s most exciting and disruptive innovators and technology and life sciences companies’, a Cooley spokesperson said in a statement.
