Paul Hastings Enhances Emerging Companies & Venture Capital Practice With Partner in Northern California

SAN FRANCISCO – In a move that further enhances its Emerging Companies & Venture Capital practice, Paul Hastings LLP today announced that Mike Pestana has joined the firm as a partner in San Francisco.

“We continue to strategically add top talent that advances our efforts to handle our clients’ most important matters at all stages in the life cycle, from early stage to pre-IPO to large public companies,” said firm Chair Frank Lopez. “Mike’s arrival strengthens our ECVC platform in Northern California and globally, which increases our ability to serve clients focused on growth sectors, particularly in technology and life sciences.”

Joining from Wilson Sonsini, Pestana focuses largely on company-side representation at all stages of development, from newly formed startups to pre-IPO companies. He regularly leads strategic deals, including private financings, secondary transactions, tender offers, recapitalizations and acquisitions. He also provides strategic business and legal advice to entrepreneurs and startups while serving as outside general counsel. 

Pestana’s clients span the full range of the startup ecosystem and have included Culture Biosciences, Future Family, Napster, Noetica and Reshop.

“Paul Hastings has impressive momentum, both in the emerging companies and venture capital space and generally across the board,” said Pestana. “I’m incredibly excited to contribute to its top-tier platform and offer all of the firm’s advantages to my clients in Northern California and beyond.”

Pestana's arrival deepens Paul Hastings' Emerging Companies & Venture Capital bench, which includes premier ECVC lawyers in California, New York and Boston. The firm has also made strategic investments in its top-of-market life sciences platform and recently launched a Technology Transactions practice with the arrival of Technology Transactions co-chairs Amir Ghavi and Sarah Gagan.

About Paul Hastings

With widely recognized elite teams across 17 core practices, Paul Hastings is a premier law firm with a culture of excellence focused on providing intellectual capital and superior execution globally to the world’s leading investment banks, asset managers and corporations. For more information, visit www.paulhastings.com.