Facebook IPO Filing Names Lawyers from Fenwick, Simpson Thacher
Facebook's IPO is one step closer, thanks to the company's in-house lawyers and two large law firms with Silicon Valley offices.
Facebook filed its Registration Statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday, naming the attorneys and firms who've been working on its much-anticipated IPO. You can read Facebook's S-1 filing in its entirety at FindLaw's Courtside blog.
The firms and attorneys named in Facebook's filing are:
Fenwick & West LLP: Based in Mountain View, Calif. -- home of rival tech company Google -- Fenwick is representing Facebook Inc. in its upcoming IPO, according to The Recorder, a California legal newspaper.
Fenwick employs 300 lawyers who focus on legal services for technology companies, according to the firm's website. The Fenwick lawyers named in Facebook's filing are Gordon K. Davidson, the firm's chairman; Jeffrey R. Vetter, co-chair of Fenwick's Securities Group; and James D. Evans, an associate based out of Fenwick's Seattle office.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP: Headquartered in New York City, Simpson Thacher is underwriters' counsel for Facebook's IPO, The Recorder reports.
Simpson Thacher employs 800 lawyers worldwide who work on complex transactional and litigation matters, the firm's website states. Attorneys named in the filing are William H. Hinman and Daniel N. Webb, both partners based out of Simpson Thacher's Palo Alto, Calif., office. Hinman also represented underwriters on Google's IPO, according to The Recorder.
Facebook's in-house legal department: Based at the company's new headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., the team is led by General Counsel Theodore W. Ullyot, along with David W. Kling and Michael L. Johnson.
General Counsel Ullyot is set to make millions upon Facebook's IPO. The in-house lawyer holds more than 35,000 shares of Facebook common stock, 1.8 million stock options, and 3.7 million restricted stock units subject to vesting conditions, according to The Recorder.
Related Resources:
- Facebook Files for IPO - SEC Registration Statement (FindLaw's Courtside)
- Lawyers Hit The Facebook Jackpot With IPO (The Wall Street Journal)
- Fenwick Scores IPO Coup With Facebook Filing (The Recorder)
- Facebook 'Sponsored Stories' Lawsuit Can Go Forward, Judge Rules (FindLaw's Technologist)