Press Release
February 24, 2016

Goodwin Procter Adds Partner Michael Russell to Expand its Northern California M&A Offering

Goodwin Procter, a leading Am Law 50 and Global 50 law firm, announced today that Michael Russell has joined the firm’s Silicon Valley office as a partner in the Technology & Life Sciences Group.

“We’re very excited to have Mike join our strong Northern California Tech M&A team. His deep and broad-based expertise also complements Goodwin’s leading national corporate and capital markets capabilities in this important jurisdiction,” said partner Larry Chu, who leads the firm’s Tech M&A Practice on the West Coast. “We have a comprehensive M&A platform, advising buy side and sell side clients, as well as institutional investors, on the full spectrum of their most complex deals, and Mike’s addition strengthens our position and growth in the market.”

Over the last several years, Goodwin Procter’s M&A team in Northern California has advised on some of the most high-profile M&A transactions in Silicon Valley, including the acquisition of Lynda.com by LinkedIn, the merger of Trulia and Zillow, the sales of both Nest and Dropcam to Google, and the acquisition of Oculus by Facebook.

“Since launching in 2007, we have become a destination practice for private company, M&A and technology capital markets work,” added Lynda Galligan, chair of the firm’s Silicon Valley office. “Mike’s extensive transactional experience makes him a great fit for our practice and we are delighted he has chosen to join Goodwin.” 

In addition to his M&A work, Russell has handled numerous equity and debt offerings, both public and private. He also regularly advises companies on a broad range of corporate and securities matters, including corporate governance responsibilities, SEC disclosure obligations, and stock market listing and compliance requirements. His recent client work has included spearheading M&A transactions for Twitter, Informatica, Micron, Woodward and TiVo. He joins from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he was a partner practicing corporate and securities law. Russell’s arrival at Goodwin in Silicon Valley follows that of William Growney, former General Counsel of RichRelevance, who joined the firm as partner last fall.

Russell received his J.D. and B.A. with distinction from University of Michigan. He can be reached at mrussell@goodwinlaw.com  or (650) 752-3194.

Goodwin’s Technology Companies Practice focuses on start-up financing, intellectual property, corporate partnering, public offerings and mergers and acquisitions. One of the largest tech practices in the United States, the group represents more than 1,000 technology and life science companies, 200 venture capital and private equity firms and many of the leading investment banks worldwide. With expertise in industry sectors including software, hardware, online content and commerce, IT services, fintech, clean tech, biopharma, medical devices and healthcare IT, among others, the group combines significant M&A, capital markets and public company capabilities with a commitment to serving emerging companies and venture capital clients.