January 3, 2005
SILICON VALLEY – In a move that strengthens its position as a leader in cross-border technology transactions, Pillsbury Winthrop LLP has added Gary L. Benton, as partner, and Sylvia K. Burks, as of counsel, to its busy Silicon Valley office.
Benton joins Pillsbury Winthrop after a 17-year stint at Coudert Brothers LLP, a New York-based international law firm. At Coudert, Benton had been a Managing Partner of the firm’s San Francisco office, a founder and Managing Partner of its Palo Alto office and, most recently, head of the firm’s Global Client Relationship Program and Northern California Technology Group. Benton is well known for advising both U.S. and foreign technology companies on cross-border commercial and corporate issues and transactions.
Benton, who is qualified as both a U.S. lawyer and an English solicitor, brings to Pillsbury Winthrop seasoned experience on cross-border technology work and a wealth of U.S. and international client relationships. At Coudert, he led multi-jurisdictional teams servicing major Silicon Valley companies. Benton’s client base includes U.S., European, Israeli and Asian technology and telecommunication companies and investors.
“Pillsbury Winthrop’s transactional strength and commitment to the international technology sector is an excellent fit for me,” says Benton. “Some of the most exciting technology deals we will see in the near future will be cross-border deals and I look forward to teaming up with Pillsbury Winthrop’s excellent corporate securities law team to handle those transactions. I’m hoping that some of the first projects we’ll start with will be a public listing in London for a Silicon Valley client, the acquisition of an Israeli company for another Silicon Valley client, and the venture capital financing of a Chinese client in the Cayman Islands.”
Burks’ practice similarly focuses on the representation of established and emerging high-technology companies domestically and abroad in the areas of corporate securities, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, and intellectual property protection, as well as general corporate representation. Prior to joining Pillsbury Winthrop, Burks also worked as a partner in Coudert’s Palo Alto office.
Burks has significant experience in U.S.-European work. Prior to joining Coudert she practiced at Linklaters (formerly Boden Oppenhoff & Schneider), Germany’s largest law firm, and advised the European Commission’s Competition Directorate in Brussels with respect to technology and know-how licensing. In addition to her U.S. legal studies at the University of Texas, Burks studied law at the University of Bonn Law School under a German-American Academic Association (DAAD) grant. She is also a recipient of a Fulbright Association grant in Vienna, Austria.
Burks has particular experience in assisting foreign corporations with respect to acquisitions, technology licensing and operational matters in the U.S. Many of her clients are European companies pursuing U.S.-European inbound and outbound opportunities. “Working with foreign clients requires both experience in U.S. law, familiarity with foreign legal systems and sensitivity to cultural differences,” said Burks.
“The addition of Gary and Sylvia considerably strengthens the firm’s cross-border transaction capabilities, particularly within the technology sector,” says Davina Kaile, co-chair of the corporate & securities technology practice and managing partner of the Silicon Valley office. “We are especially attracted to their unique breadth of experience and look forward to the many ways in which they will contribute to our growing client base.”
These lateral hires follow the recent arrival of another notable cross-border technology transactions attorney, Lior Nuchi, who also added to Pillsbury Winthrop’s cross-border capacity in Silicon Valley.
“We work in a global economy today and our clients need a more sophisticated level of assistance to navigate the countless challenges that face them,” says Jorge del Calvo, senior partner in Pillsbury Winthrop’s Silicon Valley office. “Pillsbury Winthrop represented 25 cross-border transactions in 2004 and we are projecting this number to increase substantially in 2005.”
“Gary and Sylvia are good people and have the high level of international legal sophistication and experience our clients need,” added del Calvo.
Among the most notable cross-border deals Pillsbury Winthrop handled in 2004 were the $3.5 billion acquisition of U.S.-based client Sicor Inc. by Israeli entity Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited and the $1.2 billion acquisition of U.S.-based Community First BankShares, Inc. by French client BNP Paribas BancWest Corporation.
Attorneys in Pillsbury Winthrop’s Silicon Valley office have extensive experience in technology, intellectual property, corporate & securities, litigation, environmental and employment law.
Pillsbury Winthrop LLP is an international law firm with core practice areas in capital markets, litigation, intellectual property, financial services, technology, global energy and real estate. The firm has 16 offices worldwide. For further information, please visit http://www.pillsburywinthrop.com.
Watanabe Nason & Seltzer brokered the move.