Paul Hastings has hired partners from Goodwin Procter and Cooley as it moves to build its private equity and capital markets practices in Northern California.

Scott Joachim has joined the firm as global vice chair of its private equity practice in Palo Alto from Goodwin Procter. Paul Hastings said he will be joined by two additional partners with extensive experience advising on tech-focused transactions, strategic investments, M&A and growth equity and venture financings. 

Meantime David Ambler, a partner specialising in capital markets, public company advisory and venture capital, has joined the firm from Cooley, also in Palo Alto. 

“We are excited to continue building our private equity and capital markets practices while also increasing our ability to serve PE, corporate and investment banking clients focused on growth sectors that include tech and life sciences,” said firm chair Frank Lopez. “With these additions and others in the pipeline, we continue to bolster our presence in Northern California.”

Joachim’s corporate practice focuses on complex transactions in the technology sector. His clients range from private equity firms like Accel-KKR and financial institutions including Goldman Sachs to fast-growing startups such as Symphony Communications. Before joining Goodwin in 2018 he was a partner at Fenwick & West, where he founded the firm’s PE and fintech practices.

Paul Hastings highlighted Joachim’s experience leading some of Silicon Valley’s most prominent M&A deals, including Twitch Interactive’s sale to Amazon in 2014 for almost $1bn and General Motors’ acquisition of Cruise last year for $2.1bn. His practice also focuses on fintech, representing banks and other financial institutions including Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Bank of America and Wells Fargo in connection with consortia and other strategic transactions. 

“I couldn’t be more excited to join forces with Paul Hastings’ global practice,” said Joachim. “All of us who are joining are energised to work with our new colleagues in advancing the firm’s strategy to continue growing our California practice.” 

Joachim is expected to be joined soon at Paul Hastings by lawyers who bring experience representing investors, including financial institutions and VC investors, in technology transactions, strategic investments and growth equity and venture financings, the firm added. 

For his part Ambler has joined after 11 years at Cooley, where he became a partner at the start of last year. He represents tech and life sciences companies at all stages of their growth cycles with a focus on emerging growth companies, as well as IPO-ready and publicly traded companies. He also advises underwriters, including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, as well as VC funds in public offerings and private financings. 

The hires from Goodwin and Cooley represent the most recent additions to Paul Hastings’ presence in California, as well as its growing focus on building its corporate tech and life sciences and M&A platforms. 

They follow the firm bolstering its presence in New York earlier this year with the hire of capital markets and life sciences partners Seo Salimi and Will Magioncalda and public company advisory partner Sean Donahue from Goodwin; fintech and payments team Dana Syracuse and Josh Boehm from Perkins Coie; M&A partners Kirk Lipsey and Chad Vance from Sidley Austin; and Jon Kubek from Willkie Farr & Gallagher.

Recent additions for the firm across California include white-collar and investigations lawyer Adam Fee from Milbank; Ken Deutsch from Latham & Watkins, who co-chairs the entertainment and media practice; complex litigator Susan Leader from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; and leading IP litigator Rudy Kim from Morrison & Foerster. 

A spokesperson for Goodwin Procter said of Joachim’s departure: “We wish Scott the best.” Cooley did not immediately respond to a request for comment.