M&A Rising Star Colleen Lee Joins Baker McKenzie as a Partner in Palo Alto

The Firm continues expansion of its global transactional team.

Baker McKenzie has announced that Colleen Lee has joined the Firm's Palo Alto office. Colleen's arrival continues the robust growth of Baker McKenzie's global transactional team, which has seen the addition of more than 20 partners in key business markets since the start of 2024. She joins from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

Colleen focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and startup investments, spin-offs, carve-outs, and other corporate matters. She represents public and private buyers, sellers and target companies, and private equity firms in a variety of US and cross-border acquisitions and dispositions, restructurings, and minority strategic investments. She has an extensive deal sheet, including several tech sector public company mergers and acquisitions and other multibillion dollar transactions.

Colleen joins Baker McKenzie's growing California Transactional Group which comprises more than 50 lawyers, making it among the largest transactional legal teams in California. The team advises on some of the most transformative deals on the West Coast and around the globe. With 1,300 M&A lawyers globally, Baker McKenzie has the broadest M&A footprint of any law firm, providing clients with unmatched experience on complex transactions and cross-border deals.

"Having collaborated with Colleen for years, I've witnessed firsthand her remarkable skill and dedication to client service. She stands out as a generational talent and has played pivotal role in some of the most significant tech M&A transactions," said Leif King, Head of the Firm's Transactional Practice Group in California. "Our group has grown into a leader in this area, representing some of the most influential names in tech. With Colleen augmenting our ranks, we are poised to enhance our leadership position and ability to deliver the best for clients."

Baker McKenzie North America Transactional Practice Chair, Alan Zoccolillo, added, "Colleen has extensive experience working on multibillion dollar deals for public companies, which will be a tremendous asset to the group as the pent-up demand for deal activity continues to materialize. We are all excited to have her onboard."

Colleen is a top transactional lawyer with multiple credits to her name, including 2024 Best Lawyers "Ones to Watch" and 2024 Minority Corporate Counsel Association "Rising Star" recognitions. In addition to Colleen, Baker McKenzie has recently welcomed Eric Schwartzman in San Francisco, a 17-strong first-rate transactional team in Los Angeles, Daniel Dehghanian in Dusseldorf, Tobias Knapp in New York, and Colin Bowes-Carlson in Chicago.

"In today's M&A market, success hinges on navigating complex transactions and fostering innovation to achieve strategic goals and create lasting value," noted Jannan Crozier, Chair of the Firm's Global M&A Practice. "Clients turn to Baker McKenzie because of our experience handling sophisticated deals, and adding a highly skilled and engaged partner such as Colleen will add further depth to our existing bench."

"Baker McKenzie is one of the only truly global law firms that has established a robust tech M&A practice in California. I am excited about the opportunity to practice with this elite group, and to bring the resources of the global firm to bear for my clients," said Colleen.

Colleen received her BA from the University of California, Berkeley, and her JD from New York University School of Law, where she served on the New York University Law Review. Colleen is admitted to practice in both California and New York.

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