Freshfields Guides Google’s $32 Billion Wiz Cloud Security Buy

Freshfields is steering Alphabet Inc. in the Google parent’s $32 billion cash purchase of cybersecurity company Wiz Inc.

Lawyers from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton are also advising Alphabet on regulatory issues related to the deal, which would be the company’s largest ever. Fenwick & West is representing Wiz, which had considered going public before the deal, while Cravath, Swaine & Moore is serving as the company’s regulatory counsel.

Dealmaker Ethan Klingsberg has been advising Google since before he jumped to Freshfields from Cleary in 2019. The UK-founded firm has climbed the M&A law firm rankings, landing among the top five global deals advisers last year.

The Freshfields team—including Steven Li and Denny Kwon—guided Google’s $5.4 billion acquisition of Mandiant Inc. in 2022. Cleary, whose team is led by Leah Brannon and Blair Matthews, also advised the tech giant on the Mandiant deal, along with acquisitions of Motorola Mobility, Fitbit, and Youtube.

Alphabet’s initial negotiations fell apart after Wiz said it wanted to stay independent. Wiz will join the Google Cloud business at the close of deal, which is expected next year.

Fenwick’s Michael Brown, Doug Cogen, Stephen Fisher, and Zach Portnoy advised Wiz, which the firm also represented in a $1 billion funding in May 2024.

Faiza Saeed, Cravath’s presiding partner, was part of the firm’s team on the Wiz side of the deal. Noah Phillips, a former FTC Commissioner who joined the firm in 2022, and ex-Justice Department official Andrew Finch also advised, along with Daniel Cerqueira and Alexander Greenberg.