Snehal Patil

Snehal Patil is a managing associate in the Corporate Practice Group in the firm's Palo Alto and San Francisco offices.

Areas of Practice

Snehal counsels Fortune 50 companies as well as startups and emerging growth companies on corporate and technology transactions, with a focus on large, complex global licensing and outsourcing transactions. He also has extensive experience in international corporate transactions, particularly those relating to India.

Snehal has acted as outside general counsel to many Silicon Valley based venture-backed startups throughout their various stages, including formation and ongoing corporate counsel, financings, acquisitions, structuring foreign operations and investments, and exit strategies and dissolutions.

Before joining Sheppard Mullin, Snehal was a licensing and technology associate at Perkins Coie's Palo Alto office where he acted as lead associate on several multi-hundred million dollar licensing and outsourcing transactions and also provided intellectual property counseling related to acquisitions and financings of hi-tech companies. Prior to Perkins, Snehal practiced with the business group at Thelen LLP in San Francisco where he focused on renewable energy and clean-tech industries. He has also practiced as a senior associate at DSK Legal (formerly, Andersen Legal India), one of India's leading law firms.

Snehal enjoys a high-profile network in India, where he was a top-ranking federal officer in India's prestigious Civil Services to which he was appointed by the President of India. He was also recommended for appointment to the Cabinet Secretariat, headed by the Prime Minister of India.

Education

• P.G. Diploma, Indian Academy of International Law, 2001 (major in International Law & Diplomacy; ranked second)
• M.A., University of Delhi, 2000
• LL.B., University of Mumbai, Government Law College, 1997 (emphasis in International Law; member, Moot Court Association)
• B.Com., University of Mumbai, 1994 (major in Financial Accounting & Auditing; president & treasurer, Sydenham Nature Club; high honors)

Admissions

• California, 2005
• India, 2002

Languages

• Hindi
• Marathi

General Corporate:

• Represented several Silicon Valley based IT, media, and cleantech startups and emerging growth companies in corporate matters, including formation (primarily in Delaware and California), ongoing corporate counseling (including shareholder and director issues, and conduct of Board meetings), and dissolution/winding up
• Structure international corporate reorganizations, joint ventures and strategic partnerships for Fortune 50 companies and emerging growth companies
• Structure and represent multi-national corporations and high net-worth individuals in foreign investments and exits in U.S. and India
• Draft and negotiate employment agreements, commercial contracts and licensing agreements for various startups and emerging growth companies

Private Equity/Venture Finance:

• Represented a private equity firm in its $10-50 million acquisitions of portfolios of direct private equity and venture capital investments in the secondary market
• Represented a semiconductor company in its $6 million Series B financing
• Represented a data storage company in its $5 million Series B and US$ 1 million Series A financings
• Represented a venture fund in its $3 million Series A-1 investment in a cloud computing company
• Represented a software services company in its $2 million Series A-1 financing
• Represented a silicon photovoltaic module manufacturing company in its $1.5 million Series A financing
• Represented a wind power company in its $1.2 million Series A financing
• Represented a mobile network solutions company in its $1 million Series A financing
• Represented a US based consultancy firm in fund formation and private equity investments in bio-tech companies in India through a holding company in the Cayman Islands and a special purpose vehicle in Mauritius; set up a separate wholly owned subsidiary in India to undertake advisory and consulting services

Mergers & Acquisitions:

• Represented a medical malpractice insurer in its $281 million acquisition of an NYSE-listed healthcare liability insurance company
• Represented a Mumbai, India based publicly listed pharmaceutical company in its proposed $70 million acquisition of an NYSE-listed company with substantial assets in Spain
• Represented a Mumbai, India based publicly listed IT services company in its $10-50 million asset and stock acquisitions of four U.S. based hi-tech companies
• Represented an emerging hi-tech company in its $3.5 million asset acquisition of a Bangalore, India based software company
• Represented several emerging growth media and technology companies on buy-side and sell-side asset purchase and stock purchase transactions
• Represented two of India's top five IT services companies in corporate reorganization of their respective US and international subsidiaries
• Represented an independent wind energy developer in the acquisition of rights to develop up to 375 MW of wind power projects located in Southern California
• Represented a textile manufacturing company in diverse international technology acquisitions

Licensing/Technology Transactions:

• Represented a manufacturer of outerwear and sportswear in its multi-million dollar software license agreements with SAP
• Represented a luxury hotel chain in negotiation and documentation of franchise and licensing agreements
• Represented a provider of e-commerce and supply chain automation solutions in negotiation of a publication rights and distribution agreement
• Represented a silicon photo-voltaic products design, development and manufacturing company in negotiation of cell supply, distribution license, moduling development assistance, and know-how rights agreements
• Drafted and negotiated numerous technology and content licenses, OEM, VAR, reseller and distribution agreements, and SaaS and cloud computing service agreements
• Drafted, reviewed and counseled numerous e-commerce, publishing and B2B clients on website terms of use and privacy policies

Outsourcing:

• Represented a U.S. based investment consultancy firm in its multi-hundred million dollar outsourcing of global ITO, BPO and KPO transactions with various onshore and offshore vendors for North America, EMEA, India and Australia
• Represented a U.S. based investment consultancy firm in its multi-hundred million dollar outsourcing of global information technology services to a leading India based services provider
• Represented world’s largest technology distributor in its multi-hundred million dollar outsourcing of global ERP implementation services, help desk services, and other ITO and BPO transactions with various onshore and offshore vendors for North America, Latin America, EMEA, China, India and The Philippines
• Represented a German wireless service provider in its outsourcing of numerous worldwide call centers and ITO services to various onshore and offshore vendors for North America, Latin America, UK and India
• Represented a Silicon Valley based IT company in its outsourcing of payroll processing and other HR services to an onshore vendor
• Structure captives and BOT operations for world’s largest technology distributor in China and The Philippines
• Counsel clients on privacy, data security and regulatory issues as they arise in global BPO, ITO and KPO transactions

Project Development/Project Finance:

• Represented a Danish wind turbine manufacturer and its international subsidiaries in financing, construction, operation and servicing of wind energy projects throughout North America and Europe
• Represented a California based utility company in negotiation and documentation of power purchase agreements, construction and term financing, and project restructuring agreements
• Represented an independent power producer in the compliance, analysis and amendment of project documents and operating agreements under a preferred investor financing structure
• Represented a global financial services company in negotiation and documentation of its securitization, participation and inter-creditor agreements
• Represented an international luxury hotel chain in its joint venture with a real estate development, sales and marketing company for the construction and management of a luxury condominium and hotel in Atlanta

Honors

• Guest Issue Editor, The International Law News, ABA International Newsletter, Vol. 38, No. 2, Spring 2009
• Featured in SABA Spotlight, South Asian Bar Association of Northern California newsletter, Vol. 5, Jan. 2008
• Invited to serve as an apprentice grader for the California Bar Examinations

Memberships

• ABA International’s Liaison to North American South Asian Bar Association, 2009-2011
• Editorial Board, India Law News, India Committee Newsletter, ABA International, 2009-2010
• Vice-Chair, Asia/Pacific Committee, and India Committee, ABA International, 2008-2010
• Steering Committee Member, International Antitrust Law Committee, ABA International, 2008-2009
• Director and External Liaison, South Asian Bar Association of Northern California, 2007-2008
• Co-Chair, Programming, North American South Asian Bar Association Annual Convention, San Francisco, 2007-2007

Articles

• Co-Author, A Legal Guide to Doing Business in the Asia-Pacific, ABA Publishing, 2010
• Author, A Lawyer's City Guide to Mumbai, International Law News, Vol. 38, No. 2, 2009
• Co-author, 2007 Year-in-Review (India), The International Lawyer, Vol. 42, No. 2, ABA International, 2008
• Principal Draftsman, ABA Comments on Implementing Regulations for and Amendments to the Merger Control Provisions of India’s Competition (Amendment) Act, 2007; published by ABA Section's of Antitrust Law, Business Law, and International Law, reported on www.law.com, 2007
• Author, To Be Or Not To Be: Liberalization of India's Legal Services Sector, The Asia Law News, Vol. 3, No. 1, ABA International, 2007
• Co-author, 2006 Year-in-Review (India), The International Lawyer, Vol. 41, No. 2, ABA International, 2007

Speeches

• Moderator, Doing Business in India, ABA Annual Meeting, San Francisco, 2008
• Co-Speaker, Attracting Overseas Private Equity & Venture Capital Investment for Clean Technologies/Emerging Energy Technology, FICCI Fourth Energy Technologies Forum, Mumbai, India, 2008
• Co-Speaker, Asia-Pacific Antitrust Round-Up, ABA CLE Teleconference, 2007
• Co-Speaker, Doing Business in India, Transformer's Association Spring Meeting, Berkeley, 2005