Pillsbury furthers Silicon Valley expansion with Cooley Godward lateral

Pillsbury Winthrop is continuing to swell its Silicon Valley office after making its eighth lateral hire this year.
The firm has recruited partner Deborah Ludewig from Cooley Godward, who specialises in corporate, securities and intellectual property (IP) with experience in emerging public and private companies and venture capital investors.
In recent months the firm has bolstered the Silicon Valley branch by taking on litigation partners Reginald Steer and Vernon Granneman, as well as employment partner Roberta Hayashi from Skjerven Morrill. The San Jose-based firm, which was founded by a number of former Pillsbury partners, dissolved earlier this year, resulting in a number of its lawyers returning to Pillsbury.
Other laterals include the former co-chair of Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly’s nanotechnology group Tom Thomas and the former head of IP at McDermott Will & Emery James Eakin.
Pillsbury also picked up business and technology partner Ben Quinones and corporate securities partner Kerry Smith, both from collapsed firm Brobeck Phleger & Harrison.