Global law firm Goodwin announced today that it will open a new office in Santa Monica, California. At the outset, the Santa Monica office will focus on the technology and private equity industry verticals. It will be the firm’s second in Southern California, the fourth in the state, and the eleventh globally.
The new office will be located in a modern, state-of-the-art space at 520 Broadway in Santa Monica. It will initially take up more than 20,000 square feet over the building’s entire fifth floor. A.J. Weidhaas, Co-Chair of the firm’s Private Equity practice, will serve as the Santa Monica Office Chair. The office initially will be home to approximately 20 technology and private equity lawyers, including current Goodwin lawyers who will relocate there and lateral talent, with current space to quickly double in size.
“Equal proficiency in the language of both the investors and the innovators is a Goodwin hallmark,” said David Hashmall, Chairman of Goodwin. “In today’s market, as private equity firms increasingly invest in promising technology companies, our clients want to capitalize on our dual strengths in these areas. The opening of the Santa Monica office is the logical next step in bringing our unique offering at the intersection of capital and innovation to the heart of Silicon Beach, where more and more of our technology and private equity clients are doing business.”
“Goodwin’s combined expertise in technology, venture capital, private equity and capital markets is unsurpassed,” said Weidhaas. “In the innovation-driven economy, a deep understanding of all of these sectors is as critical for deal execution and sourcing through the full company lifecycle, as it is vital for advising sophisticated investors looking at technology’s impact on the viability of a potential investment. This nexus between technology and capital is the foundation of Goodwin in Santa Monica.”
Goodwin has more than 500 lawyers focused solely on the technology, life sciences, and private equity verticals globally, including more than 150 across Northern and Southern California. The firm consistently ranks at the top of the private equity and technology league tables, including its current first place ranking for technology M&A transactions in North America, as reported by Bloomberg, and full-year 2018 Mergermarket rankings among the top three global buyouts and exits firms.
The firm’s California offices recently welcomed some of the country’s leading technology, life sciences and private equity industry practitioners, including Deepa Rich, Sam Zucker, Kevin Kabler and Michael Shuster, Jon Novotny, Shane Albright, Darryl M. Woo, and David Johanson.
Goodwin’s Los Angeles office, located at 601 South Figueroa Street and chaired by partner Dean Pappas, will continue to focus on its core offerings across real estate, private equity, complex commercial litigation matters, securities litigation, and defense of financial institutions in consumer financial services class actions.