Cooley Godward Expands Real Estate Practice

Cooley Godward LLP announced today that Michael S. Levinson has joined the Firm as a partner in its real estate practice group. He will be resident in Cooley's San Diego office. He joins Cooley from the San Diego-based law firm Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch.

"The real estate industry has always been a critical driver of the San Diego and Southern California economies," said Fred Muto, partner-in-charge of Cooley's San Diego office. "We are pleased that Michael has joined the Firm, and look forward to his contributions helping expand Cooley's presence in this sector, working closely with our current real estate practitioners both within California and nationally."

Levinson has extensive experience representing clients across all classes of real estate such as raw land, industrial and multi-family residential. He also has experience with debt financing, equity and complex joint-venture arrangements.

"Michael's successful practice, with such high profile San Diego clients as Equastone and the City of San Diego, will further enforce Cooley's reputation as a leading real estate advisor," said Steve Strauss, partner, Cooley Godward. "I had the privilege of working with Michael at Procopio and his knowledge of real estate law is second-to-none."

Levinson was with San Diego-based firm Solomon Ward from 1984 until 1991, where he was a partner in the firm's real estate practice group. From 1991 to 2001, he was a senior executive at Marika, a San Diego-based women's athletic apparel manufacturer with more than $1 billion in retail sales. Levinson held the positions of General Counsel, VP-Business Development, Chief Operating Officer and President prior to selling the company to a leveraged buyout group in 1998. He continued to run Marika for three years following the buyout.

Levinson received his law degree in 1981 from Stanford Law School (Order of the Coif), and was Senior Projects Editor of the Stanford Law Review. He earned his undergraduate degree with Distinction from Stanford University in 1978. He completed a clerkship with Judge William A. Norris of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals prior to practicing law in the private sector.

About Cooley Godward's San Diego Office

Cooley Godward's San Diego practice is the preeminent law office serving technology and life sciences companies, venture funds and investment banks in the Southern California region. The San Diego office represents more than 225 technology and life science companies.

About Cooley Godward

Cooley Godward is an established provider of strategic litigation and business transaction services and a recognized leader in the representation of high-growth private and public companies, financial institutions, venture capital firms and nonprofit organizations. Our singular focus on providing the highest quality legal services has enabled our clients to achieve their strategic business objectives and garnered for Cooley recognition as one of the country's leading law firms.

Cooley was recently named to The American Lawyer magazine's 2005 "A List," the publication's annual ranking of "the best of the best" among the nation's top law firms. For additional information please visit www.cooley.com .

Media Contact: Heather Milne Barger Cooley Godward LLP (858) 550-6269 hmilne@cooley.com