Sep. 12, 2013
Douglas N. Cogen
See more on Douglas N. CogenFenwick & West LLP | San Francisco | Practice type: Corporate
With more than 100 acquisitions for Cisco Systems Inc. under his belt in the past 10 years, Cogen intimately understands the networking equipment company's business goals.
The Fenwick & West LLP partner's most recent transaction with the company, a $2.7 billion acquisition of Internet security and firewall company SourceFire Inc., also happens to be one of the largest for Cisco in a number of years. The acquisition, announced in late July, is touted as a major step for Cisco by bolstering its network security infrastructure.
In the past year, Cogen also represented Cisco in its $310 million acquisition this spring of small cell maker Ubiquisys Ltd., which is a new area of growth for the company, and its $475 million purchase of Israeli software maker Intucell Ltd. in February.
Cogen said his longtime relationship with Cisco helps make involved acquisitions more efficient and personally rewarding.
"You bring that sort of identification with your client and deep feeling of wanting to see them succeed, because the effort that's required in those sort of deals is extremely intense," he said.
The SouceFire acquisition moved quickly once the ball got rolling, and he said in the roughly two weeks it took to complete, there was "not a lot of sleep happening."
But it's the fast-paced nature of acquisitions that keeps Cogen energized about his practice, he said. Compared to some litigators who might not see the fruit of their work for years, Cogen said he gets to see the final product within weeks or months of a deal commencing.
"There is satisfaction with working intensely on something, signing it, and then next morning it's in the newspapers and on TV," he said.
- Kylie Reynolds
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