About Francis R.
Francis R. Wheeler holds a pair of 1977 degrees from Harvard — a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Weber State University in 1973. The back-to-back degrees signal an early interest in the overlap between law and business. They also set the tone for a career that has moved between legal counsel and commercial concerns.
Wheeler went on to build a career in private practice and rose to partnership at Cooley Godward Kronish LLP. In that role he worked on matters that crossed state lines and required coordination among teams in different offices. Colleagues remember him as steady in the room and precise in his written work. Over decades he handled client relationships and shepherded deals and disputes through multiple stages, often bringing business judgment into legal conversations.
His education — the combination of a J.D. and an MBA — has been a throughline. It shaped how he approaches problems, balancing legal risk and commercial outcomes. That balance informed his work in matters that required negotiation, contract drafting, and strategic planning. He has experience managing outside counsel teams and advising senior executives on how legal choices affect business objectives.
Wheeler is licensed to practice in both Colorado and New York. That dual licensure allowed him to accept engagements that spanned the two states and to coordinate filings and strategy across jurisdictions. It also meant familiarizing himself with differing state rules and court practices and advising clients accordingly. He has worked with clients ranging from privately held companies to larger enterprises, adapting advice to organizational size and complexity.
Over the years he participated in firm governance and mentoring of junior attorneys, helping newer lawyers learn both the mechanics of legal work and the subtleties of client communication. He has been present in the professional community and maintained ties to the firms and people who make up his network. He is an active lawyer who brings decades of private-practice experience to bear on present matters.
He currently serves as a partner at Cooley Godward Kronish LLP and practices in Colorado and New York, where his work centers on advising clients on legal and business questions across those jurisdictions.
