Larry Sonsini

Chairman of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Larry W. Sonsini has gained international recognition for his expertise in the areas of corporate law, corporate governance, securities, and mergers and acquisitions. He has been instrumental in many of the IPOs, mergers, acquisitions, and other key transactions of Silicon Valley and beyond, including Google's historic IPO and Hewlett-Packard's merger with Compaq Computer.

In addition to his duties at the firm, which included serving as chief executive officer as well as chairman for more than 20 years, Larry was a member of the board of directors of the New York Stock Exchange from 2001 to 2003. He currently is the chairman of the NYSE's Regulation, Enforcement and Listing Standards Committee, the Legal Advisory Committee, and the NYSE Committee for Review. In addition he is a member of the NYSE Proxy Working Group.

In 1999, Larry was selected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In addition, he is a member of the American Law Institute. In 2003, Larry received an honorary doctorate from the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology. Larry is a trustee of Santa Clara University and a member of the University of California President’s Board on Science and Innovation. He was formerly a trustee at the University of California, Berkeley (1990-1996).

Larry joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in 1966 upon receiving his J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley. He also received an A.B. from UC Berkeley in 1963. Larry was admitted to the California Bar in 1966.