Alexis Coll-Very

Alexis S. Coll-Very is a Litigation Partner in the Firm’s Palo Alto office, focusing on government and internal investigations, shareholder litigation and complex commercial disputes. In 2015, she was named by The Daily Journal as a “Top Woman Litigator in California,” and from 2014-2016 she has been recognized by the publication as one of the “Top Women Lawyers,” which recognizes the legal achievements of women in the state of California.

In 2011, the Silicon Valley Business Journal honored her as a Woman of Influence. In 2013, The Recorder recognized Alexis as one of its Women Leaders in Technology Law.  Alexis regularly advises both publicly and privately held companies who are confronted with allegations of wrongdoing.

She regularly conducts internal investigations for management and boards of directors (including audit and other board committees), and represents these clients in any associated proceedings before federal, state and industry regulators. She also defends companies in shareholder litigation, including federal and state securities claims and derivative claims. In recent years, her practice has increasingly focused on Asia and Alexis spends a significant amount of time in our Hong Kong and Beijing offices.

Representative experience includes:

• Representing Alibaba in connection with shareholder litigation related to its historic $25 billion IPO.
• Lead counsel for a multinational real estate services firm in an investigation of violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in China. Represented the company in front of the SEC and DOJ, ultimately persuading both regulators to take no action against the company.
• Lead counsel for a Chinese technology company in an investigation of alleged trade-secret theft from a US company.
• Represented the City of New York in a False Claims Act suit brought by the DOJ alleging in excess of $3 billion in improper Medicare expenses.
• Represented numerous private equity firms, including Silver Lake Partners, Hellman & Friedman, Elevation Partners, and KKR, in lawsuits and regulatory inquiries arising from their M&A activity.
• Acted as strategic advisor and coordinating counsel for a US technology company in a world-wide dispute with its largest distributor. Matter involved lawsuits in Singapore, California and Dubai as well as arbitrations before the ICC and AAA. The allegations against the company of tax fraud, financial fraud, anti-competitive conduct and OFAC violations prompted inquiries by US and Indian regulators.
• Represented Facet Biotech in shareholder litigation arising from the hostile tender offer by Biogen Idec.; the Company successfully defeated the $14.50 per share tender and the related litigation and ultimately sold itself for $27 per share to Abbott Laboratories.
• Lead counsel for the sellers in a post-closing purchase price arbitration in connection with the $2.125 billion sale of a U.S.-based portfolio company to a European purchaser.
• Represented the audit committees of Affymetrix, BEA Systems, Clorox, Oracle and VeriFone in investigations related to alleged accounting or financial wrongdoing, Westar Energy’s Litigation Evaluation Committee in its investigation of alleged illegal accounting and regulatory activities.
• Assisting various U.S. entities in evaluating and implementing anti-corruption policies and compliance programs and consulting on specific issues as they arise in the course of their operations.

Alexis routinely handles civil rights lawsuits for various pro bono clients, at trial and on appeal, in the state and federal courts of California. She was honored by the ACLU of Southern California with the Reproductive Justice Award 2015. Alexis serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence and Legal Momentum – The Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund.

She began practicing law in Simpson Thacher’s New York office in 1995 and joined its Palo Alto office in 2000. She received her A.B., cum laude, from Duke University in 1992 and her J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School in 1995. She is admitted to practice in the state and federal district courts of California and New York, the Ninth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Education:

• University of Virginia School of Law, 1995 J.D.
  • Virginia Environmental Law Journal, 1993–1995; Articles Editor, 1994–1995
• Duke University, 1992 A.B.
  • cum laude

Admissions:

• New York 1997
• California 2001
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York 1997
• U.S. District Court Central District of California 2001
• U.S. District Court Southern District of California 2001
• U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit 2003