International law firm Dorsey & Whitney LLP announced today that Christopher Koa has joined the Corporate Group in the Firm’s Seattle office as Of Counsel.

Mr. Koa’s practice focuses on technology transactions, including cloud computing, software licensing and information technology (IT) outsourcing and procurement, as well as the technology and intellectual property aspects of M&A and other transactions. He joins Dorsey from BP Americas, where he served as IT/M&A Transactions Counsel since 2012. Before joining BP, Mr. Koa held senior in-house counsel positions in technology commerce and IT transactional work with Dell, Marsh & McLennan, Kroll, and Prudential Financial. Prior to that, he held in-house positions at Microsoft Corporation and start-up Kintana, Inc. and was an investment banker with WR Hambrecht + Co. Before his corporate experience, Mr. Koa was in private practice with two major California-based law firms.

Mr. Koa received his law degree from New York University Law School and simultaneously received a Master of Public Administration degree from Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School. He received his B.A. degree from Carleton College. After law school, Mr. Koa clerked for Senior Judge Edward J. Schwartz of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. During his in-house years, he was an active member of the Association of Corporate Counsel, where he was a frequent speaker on contract negotiation and drafting, cloud computing and other IT business law matters. Mr. Koa is also very engaged in the activities of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).

Commenting on the announcement, Dorsey Managing Partner Ken Cutler said, “We are very pleased that Chris has joined Dorsey. He will add greatly to our strong M&A, IP and technology commerce practices. He will also bring the valuable insights and perspectives of an in-house counsel with long experience at top-tier multinational corporations. We continue to add talent strategically across the Dorsey platform to better serve our clients around the world.”

“I am delighted to be joining Dorsey and its great Firm-wide team of M&A, IP and technology commerce lawyers,” noted Mr. Koa. “I look forward to serving Dorsey’s exceptional client base.”