Cooley Adds Five Deals Partners From Perkins Coie in Denver (1)

Cooley LLP has added a group of five private equity and mergers and acquisitions partners in Denver, poaching the team from rival law firm Perkins Coie.

The group includes Sonny Allison, a former managing partner of Perkins Coie’s Denver office, Cooley said Tuesday. Kester Spindler, Danielle Fortier, Amelia Davis, and Jeffrey Beuche are also joining the firm.

The group hire shows firms are still investing in transactional practices despite a continued downturn in dealmaking. Deals fell 30% last year from a record-setting 2021, leading some firms, including Cooley, to cut their workforce.

Cooley in November laid off 78 attorneys and 72 paralegals and business personnel through its US offices. Chairman Joseph Conroy said at the time the firm’s recruiting spree in the previous two years was “misaligned with the unexpected economic downturn.”

The new Denver hires primarily represent middle-market private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies across industries including technology, software, fintech, infrastructure and others, the firm said in a statement.

Cooley, which was founded in California, has about 1,400 lawyers globally. The firm in 2021 generated nearly $2 billion in gross revenue and its partners earned more than $4 million apiece on average, according to AmLaw data.

The firm’s Denver office opened nearly 30 years ago and currently has about 50 lawyers, according to the firm’s website.

“With the addition of our new partners, we have become the dominant transactional practice in Colorado, advising on the most transformative high-growth transactions in the region and beyond,” said Mike Platt, partner in charge of Cooley’s Denver office.

Cooley advised principals on 590 deals worth $85 billion last year, good for second place among firms ranked by deal count, according to Bloomberg data. It was not among the Top 10 firms in deal value.

A Perkins Coie spokeswoman said the firm wishes its former partners well.

“We continue to have a formidable and deep national M&A practice with all the capabilities to service our clients and will continue to invest in maintaining its leading position and long-term growth,” the firm said in a statement.