WilmerHale is pleased to announce that Bill Choe and Eric Levine, highly respected technology M&A dealmakers, have joined the firm as partners in the Palo Alto office. With a combined five decades of experience advising top public and private technology and life sciences companies on complex domestic and cross‑border transactions, Bill and Eric’s arrival underscores WilmerHale’s commitment to expanding its corporate and M&A capabilities on the West Coast and strengthening its position as a top destination for innovative legal counsel in the technology sector.
“Bill and Eric are recognized throughout the industry for their strategic insight and their work guiding clients through some of the most significant technology transactions,” said Anjan Sahni, WilmerHale’s Managing Partner. “They have deep experience advising global acquirers on high‑stakes, high‑velocity M&A, and their decision to join WilmerHale reflects our strong transactional platform and continued investment in the technology ecosystem.”
“Bill and Eric’s backgrounds advising sophisticated companies in fast‑moving tech sectors align seamlessly with our approach,” said Judith Hasko, Chair of WilmerHale’s Transactional Department. “Their leadership in navigating complex buy‑side and sell‑side transactions, often under accelerated timelines, is widely recognized, and we are delighted to welcome them to our transactional team.”
Bill and Eric join WilmerHale at an important time, as the firm continues to enhance its transactional practice with notable new partners. Recently, Terry Johnson, Javad Mostofizadeh and Andrea Paul became part of the team, adding further depth to WilmerHale’s leading corporate, capital markets, and emerging company practices. Their addition reflects the firm’s ongoing dedication to building out its transactional platform.
Bill’s practice focuses on technology‑sector M&A, where he has spent nearly 30 years representing leading public and private technology companies in a broad range of domestic and international transactions, including stock and asset deals, tender offers, divestitures, and complex cross‑border acquisitions. He is widely regarded as one of the West Coast’s preeminent technology M&A attorneys, with extensive experience advising clients in artificial intelligence, digital media streaming, semiconductor innovation, autonomous vehicles, voice and vision technologies, and the Internet of Things.
Clients benefit from Bill’s ability to blend deep industry knowledge with pragmatic judgment, supported by his experience as Vice President of Legal at a publicly traded information and analytics company, where he oversaw M&A, securities, and corporate governance matters. His practice also includes advising high‑technology companies at every stage of their lifecycle, as well as venture capital and private equity funds investing in technology‑driven businesses.
Eric’s practice covers a wide range of sophisticated business transactions, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions for public and private companies as well as private equity sponsors. With nearly 20 years of experience in M&A and corporate law, Eric has led major transactions, most notably in the technology, technology services, and life sciences sectors, with deal values ranging from several million to several billion dollars. His experience includes M&A, venture and growth equity financings, and joint ventures. Eric regularly advises Fortune 500 companies with respect to their high-volume M&A programs.
“Joining WilmerHale presents an exciting opportunity to collaborate with exceptional colleagues and serve clients at the forefront of technological innovation,” said Bill Choe. “The firm’s commitment to excellence, deep industry knowledge, and collaborative culture were key to my decision, and I look forward to contributing to our clients’ continued success.”
“I am thrilled to join WilmerHale, where the collaborative culture and commitment to innovation create the ideal environment to help clients navigate complex transactions,” said Eric Levine. “I look forward to partnering with this talented team to deliver creative and effective solutions for our clients’ most important business needs.”
Bill holds an MBA from Columbia University, a JD from Notre Dame Law School, and a BA from the University of Michigan. Eric earned his JD at Georgetown University Law Center and his BA from Tufts University.
The firm also recently announced new leaders in its Transactional Practices, highlighting its reputation as a top choice for corporate and transactional clients. Ciara Baker was named Chair of the Tax Practice Group, Chris Barnstable‑Brown was appointed Corporate Vice‑Chair of the Corporate Practice Group, joining current Vice Chairs Caroline Dotolo and Eric Hanson, Chris also joined Andrew Bonnes as co‑Chair of the M&A Group, Avery Reaves joined Daniel Zimmermann as co‑Chair of the Emerging Company and Venture Capital Practice Group, and Ariel Soiffer was appointed Chair of AI Technology Transactions within the Technology Transactions Group.