William Devenish

I provide strategic counsel to US based emerging growth stage companies on their international expansion and day to day UK and European operations. I help my clients to grow smartly and operate efficiently in the UK and Europe. I am an English qualified attorney and registered foreign legal consultant with the State Bar of California.

My expertise includes helping emerging companies evaluate, plan, structure and execute their international expansion strategy, counseling clients at all stages of their European life cycle and co-ordinating multi-jurisdictional legal projects. I also support acquisitions with a cross border element and connect Fieldfisher's European based emerging growth clients with US advisors and stakeholders when they are embarking on US expansion.

My work highlights include (*):

• A series B recovery software company: Advising on various international expansion methods and supporting UK labor and exec comp matters;
• A series A healthcare benefits company: Advising on UK expansion strategy and supporting ongoing UK legal projects;
• A private equity backed fintech company: Advising on international expansion strategy and supporting European legal projects;
• A leading digital services firm: Acting as outside international counsel advising on a range of matters as the business expanded into the UK;
• A series B security platform: Advising on its UK expansion strategy and launch in the UK;
• A SaaS e-commerce platform: Advising on its UK expansion strategy and successful launch;
• Listed medtech company: Coordination and project management of multi-jurisdictional legal projects;
• A company in stealth mode: Advising on the use of Employer of Record services as a method of expansion in Europe;
• A leading US venture capital firm: Advising on its UK expansion strategy;
• Listed medtech company: Advising on its European expansion strategy including advice concerning various expansion methods;
• Vlocity, Inc.: Coordination of the international legal elements of Vlocity's $1.3bn acquisition by Salesforce.com, Inc.;
• A robotic process automation company: Advising on its international expansion strategy and subsequent launch into 15 jurisdictions simultaneously;
• Wondery, Inc.: Assisting on the UK legal aspects of its acquisition by Amazon.com, Inc. for an undisclosed sum;
• Liftoff Mobile, Inc.: Assisting on the international legal elements of its majority investment by private equity house Blackstone;
• Liftoff Mobile, Inc.: Coordination of Liftoff's global expansion into Germany, the UK, South Korea and Brazil;
• A venture capital funded DevSecOps platform:  Advising on various international legal matters including its international expansion strategy, ongoing corporate operation matters and strategic acquisitions;
• A venture capital funded direct to consumer retail company: Advising on its UK expansion strategy; and
• A series C security software company: Advising on its UK expansion and ongoing European legal matters.

I am an active member of the Silicon Valley branch of the Association of Corporate Growth and a member of the American Bar Association.

I joined Fieldfisher in 2021 having worked in the San Francisco Bay Area for another European law firm. Before relocating to the West Coast in 2018, I was a leveraged finance lawyer in the UK. I also spent a period of time working in house at one of the UK's major banks.

(*) = some experience gained at another firm.