Samuel M. Livermore joined Cooley in 1996 and heads the Firm's San Francisco Business and Finance Practice, which encompasses practice groups focusing on public companies, emerging companies, capital markets, credit finance, mergers & acquisitions, and personal representation, and the investment banks, financial institutions, wealth managers and other financing sources doing business in those areas. He has been a member of the Firm's Management Committee and head of the firm-wide Regulatory Practice (encompassing antitrust and competition, government contracts, health care and international trade), and serves on the Firm's Retirement Plans Committee.

Mr. Livermore's 35-year practice spans a broad spectrum of business counseling and complex transactional matters, including business organization and structuring, corporate governance, securities disclosure and compliance, investor relations, mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financing, executive compensation and international transactions. He has advised publicly and privately-held companies, family-owned businesses, boards of directors, special committees, individuals and majority and minority stockholder groups in numerous industries, domestic and foreign.

Prior to joining Cooley, from 1992 until 1996 Mr. Livermore was a partner of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, where he headed its San Francisco corporate and securities practice. Previously, he was a partner of Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges, where he served as chairman of that firm's corporate practice from 1989 until 1992.

Mr. Livermore received a JD in 1978 from Stanford Law School, where he was a senior editor of the Stanford Journal of International Studies. He received a MSc in International Relations in 1974 from the London School of Economics, University of London, where he was a Marshall Scholar. He earned an AB, summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College in 1973, having been elected to Phi Beta Kappa and received the Barrett Cup Award. Mr. Livermore is listed in the Best Lawyers in America and has been named a "Northern California Super Lawyer" by Law & Politics and San Francisco Magazine.

In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Livermore has been active with numerous community, educational and environmental organizations. He was a Founder and served for many years as Chairman of The Yosemite Conservancy, is Vice Chairman and a Director of Save-The-Redwoods League, and previously served in leadership positions with the Marin Art & Garden Center, Marin Country Day School, the Terwilliger Nature Education Center and other organizations.

Mr. Livermore was seconded to the law firm of Mallesons Stephen Jaques in Sydney, Australia, in 1983. He is a member of the State Bar of California, the American Bar Association and the Bar Association of San Francisco.