October.30.2012
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP today announced that Mitchell Zuklie has been selected as Chair-Elect of the firm. Mr. Zuklie is currently the leader of Orrick’s Corporate Business Unit, the most geographically diverse and the second largest of Orrick’s five global business units. Upon partner ratification, he will succeed Ralph H. Baxter, Jr., the firm’s current Chair, in January, 2014. Mr. Zuklie will work closely during the transition with Mr. Baxter.
Mr. Zuklie is widely recognized as one of the country's leading advisors to entrepreneurs, technology companies and the venture capital community, in Silicon Valley and worldwide. He has led hundreds of venture capital financings, public offerings, mergers, acquisitions and technology licensing transactions. He is regularly called upon to advise private and public company boards. His cleantech and IT-focused practice includes advising numerous, prominent innovators, including Fisker Automotive and Nest; leading venture capital firms such as Benchmark Capital, Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital; as well as investment banks and the venture investing arms of some of the largest global public companies. He earned his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the California Law Review, and graduated, summa cum laude, from Bowdoin College.
Mr. Zuklie has served in a wide range of leadership positions at Orrick. In his current role as leader of the global Corporate Business Unit, Mr. Zuklie oversees Orrick's Capital Markets, Compensation & Benefits, Emerging Companies, M&A/Private Equity and Tax groups. He is a member of Orrick's Board and its Management Committee, and, during 2011, he served on the firm's 14-partner global committee that conducted a year-long review of Orrick's strategy. Previously, he headed the firm's Silicon Valley office, where he is based.
“Mitch has a tremendous sense of the firm and is a superb lawyer as well as an insightful leader. Having worked closely with Mitch both on our Board and Management Committee, I have come to appreciate what an outstanding person he is and how highly regarded he is across the firm, by our clients and in the legal community – both for his advice and judgment and for the way his values mirror Orrick’s own. We could not be more fortunate to have Mitch step into this role, and I look forward to collaborating with him in the coming year,” said Mr. Baxter.
“I am truly honored and humbled by the confidence that has been placed in me,” said Mr. Zuklie. “We are fortunate to have at Orrick a great many partners who could have very ably filled this role, and I am looking forward to working closely with all of them in managing the firm in the years ahead. Under Ralph’s leadership, Orrick has grown from a regional firm with 250 lawyers to a global leader with more than 1,100 lawyers in 25 offices worldwide. Among other accomplishments, Ralph has led a series of innovations in our business model that have more closely aligned Orrick with our clients. At no time in the firm’s history have we achieved more wins for our clients in high-stakes disputes or handled more novel corporate and finance transactions around the world than we have in the past year. Orrick is distinctive in our cohesive culture and the mutual respect that permeates our firm, and I am excited to build upon this tremendous foundation, working closely with our partners and clients around the world.”
The selection of the Chair-Elect was the result of an 18-month process in which the firm’s Nominating Committee obtained direct input from Orrick’s 370 partners. “Our choice of Mitch Zuklie was the result of careful deliberation and a collaborative approach that we are confident not only reaffirmed our core values, but also strengthened the firm throughout the process. We could not be more pleased with the outcome,” the Committee said in a statement.
Mr. Zuklie is married and has two children. He resides in Portola Valley, California.