Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Appoints Doug Clark and Jack Sheridan as Co-managing Partners

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, today announced that Douglas Clark and John T. (Jack) Sheridan have been named co-managing partners of the firm. They succeed Steven E. Bochner, who has decided to return full time to his corporate law practice. Bochner had been chief executive officer since August 2009, when he succeeded John Roos, who left the firm to become the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. The management transition will take place over the course of next month.

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"Steve has presided over the firm during a period of significant growth and achievement, including expansion into new geographies—China, Delaware, and Brussels—and in a number of strategic practices, such as corporate governance, antitrust, global capital markets, and other key areas," said Chairman Larry Sonsini. "We are completing the best financial year in the firm's history, with record revenue and productivity, and have achieved many important successes on behalf of our clients. We cannot thank Steve enough for his distinguished service, and look forward to him continuing in a leadership role at the firm as a board member and senior partner."

"I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have served as CEO," said Steve Bochner. "Working alongside the board of directors and partnership in this capacity has made me even more appreciative of the strength of this organization and the terrific people who work for it. But working with clients always has been my passion, and I felt that the time was right to return to full-time practice. We are fortunate to have Doug and Jack ready to step in as co-managing partners. They have been key members of the management team for some time, and they'll make terrific stewards of the firm."

An attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati since 1993, Doug Clark served as the head of the litigation department for six years. He has chaired many of the firm's key committees and is also a member of its Policy Committee. Clark's litigation practice focuses primarily on the defense of securities class actions, and he has represented numerous companies in SEC investigations and exchange inquiries.

Jack Sheridan joined the firm in 1986 and has been head of the Business Law Department for five years. He, too, has chaired and participated in many of the firm's key committees. Sheridan's practice focuses on the corporate governance, intellectual property, and other corporate legal needs of public and private companies in the technology, life sciences, and retail sectors. He has represented them in public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, venture financings, and other sophisticated transactions.

"Both Doug and Jack have superb strategic and operational expertise that makes them uniquely qualified to pick up the mantle from Steve," said Sonsini. "They know the firm, its people and operations, and the legal business inside out. The board and I look forward to working with them as the firm continues to evolve and explore promising opportunities, and we thank them for assuming this important new role."

About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

For more than 50 years, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has offered a broad range of services and legal disciplines focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leader in the fields of corporate governance and finance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, securities litigation, employment law, intellectual property, and antitrust, among many other areas of law. With long-standing roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has offices in Austin; Brussels; Georgetown, DE; Hong Kong; New York; Palo Alto; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Shanghai; and Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.wsgr.com.

SOURCE Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati