WilmerHale is pleased to welcome Samuel Coates as a partner in the Palo Alto office. Mr. Coates joins the firm as a member of the Corporate, Emerging Company and Life Sciences Practice Groups.

“Sam is a terrific addition to our team in Palo Alto, which is highly attuned to the technology and life sciences markets,” said Susan Murley, co-managing partner at WilmerHale. “His years of experience and proven ability are a great match for us as we continue our strategic growth in California.”

Mr. Coates has a corporate law practice with an emphasis on the representation of technology and life science companies. For more than 15 years, he has focused his practice on the structuring and negotiating of spin-outs, joint ventures, and other strategic collaborations and M&A transactions in Silicon Valley. In addition, he has extensive experience with venture capital investments and has represented both companies and investors in numerous equity offerings, both public and private.

“I’ve admired the team at WilmerHale throughout my career,” said Mr. Coates. “I am proud to join the firm and to help expand its footprint in the emerging companies practice. The strength of WilmerHale’s IP litigation, SEC compliance, government and regulatory practices has always been a compelling reason to join the WilmerHale platform—expertise in these core competencies is critical for advising emerging growth companies. I’m both grateful and excited for a chance to grow my practice at WilmerHale, which leads the market in these practices.”

WilmerHale is widely recognized for its preeminence in the representation of technology and life sciences companies in the US and Europe. The firm’s corporate lawyers have considerable experience in IPOs, venture capital, M&A, strategic alliances, corporate governance matters and the representation of emerging companies. WilmerHale’s business lawyers draw on the resources of its intellectual property, tax, labor and employment, employee benefits, litigation, real estate, bankruptcy and antitrust practices to provide a full service solution to its corporate clients. The firm’s corporate practice is consistently recognized by Chambers USA and, in 2014, was named to Corporate Board Member’s “America’s Top Corporate Law Firms” list.

“Sam’s blend of capabilities in the technology and life sciences areas, along with his knowledge of the market, will bolster our already active practice,” said Peter Buckland, co-chair of the firm’s Emerging Company Practice and vice chair of its Corporate Practice Group. “His arrival reinforces our commitment to the region and our continued focus on the needs of our technology and life sciences clients.”

Mr. Coates earned his BA from the University of California, Berkeley and his JD from the University of San Francisco. He is admitted to the California Bar.

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