Bruce K. Dallas

A founding partner of Davis Polk's Menlo Park office, Dallas advises a variety of technology companies on everything from corporate finance and Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure to high-profile initial public offerings.

"I've got a fairly balanced issuer and underwriter practice," he said. "The issuers that I deal with are large companies like Oracle, Comcast, Texas Instruments and lesser-known companies like Roper Industries, SAIC and MASCO."

In February, Dallas represented Czech Republic-based tech company AVG Technologies N.V. in its $125 million IPO. He said the issues that come up for foreign private issuers are different from those for U.S. companies.

"There are different SEC rules that apply," he said. "The JOBS Act now allows domestic companies to file confidentially until they're ready to launch their IPO. The SEC used to permit that for foreign private issuers, and we were one of the last to fall into the old SEC regime on confidential filings for [non-U.S. companies].

On the underwriter side of his practice, Dallas advised joint book-running managers Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. in the $300 million Palo Alto Networks Inc. offering that priced in July. It was "one of the more successful IPOs in a long time," he said.

"It priced well above the range and traded extremely well," Dallas said. "It filed the day after the JOBS Act became effective. We were essentially at the forefront trying to figure out exactly how to change practice or not change practice based on the JOBS Act."

Aside from the transactional side of his practice, Dallas said he keeps up with his clients by phone. He said he gets between five and 20 calls per day on a variety of issues.

"I'm fielding phone calls from them on disclosure issues, on SEC comment letters, on reviewing 10-ks and 10-Qs, corporate governance and the like," he said. "It's things that the in-house legal folks don't feel comfortable addressing by themselves.

- DAVID MCAFEE