About Rachel B.
Rachel B. Proffitt is a licensed attorney admitted to practice law in the State of California. She was admitted to the California State Bar in 2002. Her license is currently in active status. Ms. Proffitt is a partner and the Chief Executive Officer at Cooley LLP, a global law firm headquartered in San Francisco, California. She has been practicing law for over 24 years, serving clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
Ms. Proffitt earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (now UC Law San Francisco), where she graduated in 2002. During her time at Hastings, she was a member of the Hastings International and Comparative Law Review and the Hastings Security Law Society. Prior to law school, she completed her undergraduate education at the University of California, Los Angeles, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and as part of the University Honors Program.
Ms. Proffitt concentrates her practice in corporate and securities law, representing public and private companies, as well as venture capital and investment banking firms and other institutional investors across a broad range of industries. Her practice focuses on general corporate and complex transactional matters, including venture capital transactions, public and private securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and other strategic transactions, as well as public company disclosure and corporate governance. She has experience in all stages of these transactions, from initial negotiations to closing and post-closing matters.
Throughout her career, Ms. Proffitt has handled cases in various courts, including the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco and the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. She has also appeared before the California Court of Appeal. Prior to joining Cooley, she was a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she began her legal career. In January 2024, she succeeded Joe Conroy as Cooley's Chief Executive Officer, becoming the firm's first female CEO. ([cooley.com](https://www.cooley.com/news/coverage/2023/2023-09-18-cooley-announces-rachel-proffitt-to-succeed-joe-conroy-as-firms-next-ceo?utm_source=openai))
Ms. Proffitt is an active member of the California State Bar Association. She has been recognized for her leadership and contributions to the legal profession, including being named to Forbes' list of America's Top 200 Lawyers in 2024 and to Bloomberg Businessweek's list of Tech Ones to Watch in 2025. ([cooley.com](https://www.cooley.com/news/coverage/2024/2024-04-01-cooley-ceo-named-among-americas-top-200-lawyers?utm_source=openai)) She is also involved in community initiatives and serves as an adjunct professor at UC Law San Francisco, where she shares her expertise with the next generation of legal professionals. ([uclawsf.edu](https://www.uclawsf.edu/people/rachel-proffitt/?utm_source=openai))
