Cooley LLP announced today that William Donovan has joined the firm as a partner in its Litigation department and head of the litigation practice in Los Angeles. Donovan’s arrival is another significant step in the growth of the firm’s Los Angeles office, led by partner-in-charge C. Thomas Hopkins. The office, which opened in 2012, now counts nearly 20 corporate and litigation attorneys as residents.

“Cooley is focused on building our Los Angeles office to meet our clients’ needs in the region and nationally, including top tier litigation capability,” said Mike Attanasio, chair of Cooley’s Litigation department. “With his deep trial experience and an overall practice model that fits so well with Cooley, Bill is absolutely the right person for this role. We are thrilled to welcome him to the firm.”

Donovan joins the firm from DLA Piper in Los Angeles. His practice focuses on trial and appellate litigation, with an emphasis on consumer class action, professional liability and complex commercial cases. Donovan counsels clients based on his unique experience obtained over the course of his career not only in private practice, but as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice and as in-house counsel at a Fortune 100 telecommunications company. He is an experienced trial lawyer, having first-chaired multiple trials at the Justice Department and in private practice for major clients in a variety of industries. Donovan also has conducted several dozen appellate arguments in his career, including two successful arguments at the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in the past six months alone.

“Cooley has an impressive national litigation practice and a deep bench of experienced trial lawyers across the country,” Donovan said. “I look forward to working with such a talented group and helping to grow its presence in the greater Los Angeles market. Cooley has made great strides and gained considerable traction in its short time in this market. I am truly excited to be part of the team that will further establish Cooley as a full-service, go-to firm in Los Angeles.”

Donovan earned his J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law in 1991, and his B.A. from Columbia University in 1987. He graduated from the Executive Education Program at the UCLA Anderson School of Business in May 2004.

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