Perkins Coie has expanded its Los Angeles-based emerging companies and venture capital practice with a lateral hire from competitor Sheppard Mullin.
Jonathan Atzen comes to Perkins Coie’s L.A. office as a partner. Atzen represents many kinds of tech companies in M&A, venture capital financings, and debt and equity offerings. His clients include firms in the mobile technology, e-commerce, software, and alternative energy sectors. Atzen also handles reporting and compliance matters for public companies.
“The legal market is increasingly competitive in L.A., with Silicon Valley firms opening offices here and staffing up locally to meet demand. I felt I needed to be at a law firm with a foundation and platform based in servicing the technology sector in order to better serve these types of companies and entrepreneurs. I still believe there is increasing demand to be serviced by the right type of law firms,” Atzen told IFLR1000.
Atzen joins the firm at a time when headline-making tech deals are increasingly likely to take place in Los Angeles and its environs.
“If you look at some of the more high-profile deals like Ocular’s acquisition by Facebook or the TrueCar IPO, those deals are happening right here in southern California -- it is exciting to watch this market develop and prosper,” Atzen noted.
Atzen holds a J.D. from the Loyola Law School and B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.