PALO ALTO (MAY 15, 2024) – Sullivan & Cromwell announced today that Mike Ringler and Peter Jones will join the firm as partners in its Palo Alto office, bringing exceptional capabilities and expertise in technology transactions to S&C’s M&A practice. They join a worldwide network of M&A lawyers at S&C, which ranked first in 2023 in global announced deals totaling more than $345 billion, according to Bloomberg.
“Mike and Pete are two of the country’s best technology M&A lawyers, and we’re thrilled to welcome them to S&C,” said Robert Giuffra and Scott Miller, co-chairs of Sullivan & Cromwell. “We expect the technology industry to remain the engine of the global economy, and we want to continue to be the law firm of choice for the biggest M&A and technology-related transactions and litigations.”
Mr. Ringler and Mr. Jones are widely regarded as top Silicon Valley dealmakers and have advised on many of the largest technology M&A transactions of the past several years, including Ansys in its $35 billion sale to Synopsys, Splunk in its $30 billion sale to Cisco Systems, Elon Musk in his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, SK Hynix in its $9 billion acquisition of Intel’s memory business, Livongo in its $18.5 billion sale to Teladoc Health, Proofpoint in its $12 billion sale to Thoma Bravo, Credit Karma in its $8 billion sale to Intuit and Coherent in its $7 billion sale to II-VI.
Twice named a “Dealmaker of the Year” by The American Lawyer, Mr. Ringler regularly advises boards and special committees on a range of corporate governance matters, including unsolicited takeover proposals, proxy contests and shareholder activism. In addition to being ranked in Band 1 for Corporate/M&A by Chambers USA, Mr. Ringler was recently named a Law360 M&A MVP, a BTI M&A Client Service All-Star and a California Lawyer of the Year by the Daily Journal.
“I’m delighted to join Sullivan & Cromwell, which has elite M&A, IP, antitrust and other regulatory practices and a track record advising companies on their largest and most complex transactions and bet-the-company regulatory issues,” said Mr. Ringler. “S&C gives us a unique opportunity to partner with an extraordinary team of lawyers to help technology companies on their most significant M&A transactions and other complex matters.”
Mr. Jones also represents a broad range of private equity and other financial sponsor clients. He represented GIC in its $14 billion acquisition of STORE Capital Corporation, HPS Investment Partners in its investment in Authentic Brands Group and Hg on a number of transactions. He is widely recognized as a rising star and a leader among the next generation of deal lawyers who operate at the top end of the market.
“I’m excited to join Sullivan & Cromwell and their pre-eminent M&A practice,” said Mr. Jones. “I have worked opposite S&C many times over the years and have seen first-hand how the firm delivers for clients on their most complex transactions and look forward to bringing my extensive technology industry experience to the S&C team. I am also excited to be making this move with Mike and continuing our strong working relationship.”
“Mike and Pete join an incredible team of talented lawyers in Palo Alto and across our leading technology practice. With these additions, we can continue to provide an expanding group of clients with the highest level of expertise, experience and resources that are unparalleled in California and around the globe,” said Sarah Payne, managing partner of S&C’s Palo Alto office.
The addition of Mr. Ringler and Mr. Jones reflects S&C’s deep commitment to its technology practice and West Coast presence. Last year, the firm welcomed former Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Andrei Iancu as a partner in Los Angeles, advising clients on intellectual property and technology litigation, trials and high-stakes appeals, as well as obtaining, licensing, enforcing and defending against IP rights globally
About S&C’s West Coast Practice
S&C opened one of the first Los Angeles offices of a major New York law firm 40 years ago and opened a second California office in Palo Alto in 2000. In 2023, the firm moved to 40,000 square feet of new offices at 550 Hamilton Avenue in downtown Palo Alto.
The firm’s West Coast offices are an integral part of our worldwide practice, with the expertise and capability to handle complex M&A, corporate governance, IP, cybersecurity, capital markets and litigation matters. Our California-based lawyers regularly represent public and private companies involved in the technology, media and telecommunications, sports and entertainment, healthcare and life sciences, private equity and financial services industries.
S&C’s recent high-profile technology-related transactions include:
- Character.ai, a conversation AI platform backed by Andreessen Horowitz, in its recent compute partnership with Google;
- Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd’s $200 million SEC-registered IPO and Nasdaq Global Select Market listing and subsequent follow-on offering (counsel to the underwriters);
- Mobileye’s $861 million SEC-registered IPO and Nasdaq Global Select Market listing and subsequent $1.6 billion follow-on offering (counsel to the underwriters);
- OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT and Dall-E, in its multi-billion dollar partnership with Microsoft;
- SoftBank Group on the $5.23 billion IPO of its subsidiary Arm Holdings, the largest IPO of 2023 (named “Securities Deal of the Year: Equity” by Law.com International in 2024);
- Stripe’s $6.5 billion stock private placement in one of the largest private stock sales in U.S. history (counsel to the placement agent for Stripe); and
- Symbotic, a leading provider of AI-powered automation technology for the supply chain, in its and SoftBank’s establishment of GreenBox Systems, which will automate supply chain networks globally, and its approximately $7.5 billion new strategic supply relationship with GreenBox.
About Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is a leading global law firm that advises on major domestic and cross-border M&A, significant litigation and corporate investigations, finance and corporate transactions, and complex antitrust, regulatory, tax and estate planning matters. Our firm’s hallmarks are the highest-quality independent advice and intense dedication to solving client problems. Founded in 1879, S&C has more than 900 lawyers located in offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Palo Alto, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Brussels, Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney.