Cooley Hires Sean Brownridge as Activism Defense Chair

Law firm Cooley has hired Sean Brownridge as chair of its activism defense practice.

Brownridge has joined as a partner in the firm’s mergers and acquisition group, according to a statement reviewed by Bloomberg News. He is based in New York, the statement shows.

He joined from McDermott Will & Schulte, where he advised billionaire Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management LP in its campaign at Walt Disney Co. Previously, as a part of the shareholder activism and hostile takeover defense group at Kirkland & Ellis, Brownridge advised Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. on how to counter Starboard Value’s opposition to ...