About Nancy Helene
Nancy Helene Wojtas is a licensed attorney admitted to practice law in the states of California, New York, and Illinois. She was admitted to the California State Bar in 1983, the New York State Bar in 1977, and the Illinois State Bar in 1981. Her license status in California is active, while in Illinois, her license is administratively not authorized to practice. Ms. Wojtas is a partner at Cooley LLP, a law firm specializing in business and securities law, with offices in Palo Alto, California. She has been practicing law for over four decades, serving clients in various jurisdictions, including California, New York, and Illinois.
Ms. Wojtas earned her Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University Law School in 1976, where she served as senior editor of the Wayne State University Law Review. She furthered her legal education by obtaining a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from New York University School of Law in 1977. Prior to her legal studies, she completed her undergraduate education at the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972.
Ms. Wojtas specializes in business and corporate law, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, securities law, and corporate governance matters. She has extensive experience representing clients in complex transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, mergers, private and public offerings, joint ventures, venture capital, and bank financings. Her practice encompasses all stages of these transactions, from initial negotiations to final execution, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Throughout her career, Ms. Wojtas has handled cases in various courts, including the Superior Court of California, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She has also appeared before the California Court of Appeal on multiple occasions. Prior to joining Cooley LLP, she served for twelve years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, where she tried eighteen federal cases and briefed and argued multiple appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Ms. Wojtas is an active member of the California State Bar, serving as a former co-chair of the Corporations Committee of the Business Section. She is also a member of the Opinions Committee of the California State Bar. In recognition of her expertise, she was named Lawyer of the Year in Corporate Governance in Palo Alto by The Best Lawyers in America in 2013 and has been recognized as a leading lawyer in Corporate Governance from 2007 to 2015. Ms. Wojtas is fluent in English and has been a frequent speaker on corporate governance and securities law topics at various conferences and seminars.
