Diane Wilkins Savage is of counsel to Cooley's Business department and a member of the Technology Transactions Group. She was a partner with the Firm from 1994 through 2000 and founded the Firm's Technology Transactions Group. She rejoined the Firm in 2003 and is resident in the Palo Alto office.
Ms. Savage's practice focuses on the legal and business needs of emerging growth companies with primary emphasis in electronics (software, multimedia, Internet, and computer hardware, peripheral equipment and semiconductors). She has expertise in the formation and financing of such businesses, as well as in the structuring of complex licensing, commercial and strategic arrangements, within the United States and internationally.
As part of her practice, Ms. Savage routinely prepares agreements for OEM and VAR arrangements, strategic technology development and marketing agreements, manufacturing and supply agreements and joint venture and partnership agreements.
Ms. Savage also takes an active role in private financing, public offering and mergers and acquisition transactions for her clients.
From 2000 to 2009, Ms. Savage was a member of the faculty of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she taught business law. She was a co-author of the 5th and 6th editions of Managers and the Legal Environment, a business law text book used in leading business schools across the country.
Prior to joining Cooley, Ms. Savage was a partner at Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich, where she was co-chair of that firm's Products, Technology & Multimedia Group. Ms. Savage also served as the first General Counsel of Adobe Systems Incorporated and as General Counsel of Vividence, Inc. Ms. Savage received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1974 and her B.A. in English from Emory University in 1971.
She has published numerous articles focusing on current legal issues in the field, and has spoken at information technology industry and continuing education seminars. Ms. Savage is a Senior Fellow with the American Leadership Forum - Silicon Valley. She is a member of the American Law Institute, the American Bar Association, and the State Bar of California. She serves on the Board of Trustees of Emory University and on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte.
