Michael Stern is senior counsel in the Cooley Business department and is a member of the Technology Transactions practice group. He joined the Firm in 1996 and is resident in the Palo Alto office.
Mr. Stern's practice focuses on technology related transactions, including patent licensing and portfolio acquisitions and sales, cloud services, big data and business intelligence applications, social networking, enterprise and consumer hardware, distribution arrangements, product development, technology transfer and outsourcing agreements, electronic commerce and strategic relationships. He represents clients ranging from start-ups to large public companies.
Prior to joining Cooley, Mr. Stern was Vice President of Business Affairs and General Counsel of General Magic, Inc., where he began working in 1991. Before that, he was a partner at Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich in Palo Alto.
Mr. Stern served as an extern law clerk to Judge Cecil F. Poole, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and a regular book reviewer for The American Lawyer. His articles and reviews have also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, California Lawyer and High Technology Law Journal and he is on the board of Directors of the American Prospect.
Mr. Stern received a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, a Ph.D. in English from Yale University, an M.A. in English from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Kellett fellow at Clare College, and a B.A. in English (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Columbia University.
Before attending law school, Mr. Stern was an Assistant Professor of English at Harvey Mudd College, the engineering campus of the Claremont Colleges, and also worked as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. He is a co-author of Up Against the Ivy Wall (Atheneum). Mr. Stern has been recognized by Chambers USA Edition as a leader in IT & IT Outsourcing in California in 2007 - 2012.
Mr. Stern is a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of California.
