Gunderson Dettmer announced today that Lara Alice Pender has joined the firm’s leading venture capital and growth equity practice as a partner, where she will be resident in the Ann Arbor office. She joins the firm from Jones Day where she was a partner.

Pender focuses her practice on structuring, negotiating, and managing minority- and majority-stake investments, as well as cross-border acquisitions and divestitures, for growth equity, venture capital and other private equity firms and the growth-stage companies in which they invest. She has represented a range of private equity investors, including international corporate venture capital, sovereign wealth and pension funds, in connection with numerous financings of high-valuation companies.

“Lara will add her extensive private equity experience to our already formidable global growth equity fund practice. Having practiced in Silicon Valley, London and the Midwest, she brings over a decade of experience focused on navigating private equity investors through a rapidly-evolving market,” says Marcia Hatch, member of the Gunderson Dettmer’s Management Committee and co-founder of the firm’s Ann Arbor office. “At the same time, Lara shares our deep commitment to the growing Midwest ecosystem for high-growth companies and investors. She will further strengthen our Ann Arbor office and contribute to our continued success.” 

“Our investor clients depend on us to provide market-leading advice and creative solutions to their needs. Lara brings exactly the right experience and skillset to complement our team members in Ann Arbor, New York and around the world,” says Steve Baglio, co-leader of the firm’s international growth equity practice and partner in the New York office.

Pender also guides promising companies in the Midwest through financing, governance, and strategic issues as they mature. She lectures at the University of Michigan Law School on late-stage venture capital issues.

“Gunderson’s reputation among growth equity and venture capital investors is second to none. They not only provide clients with high-value legal advice, but they also take a practical strategic approach that aligns well with my own practice,” says Pender. “The opportunity to work with such an impressive roster of investors and companies alongside this collaborative and focused team was a motivating factor in deciding to join the firm.”

Pender is admitted to practice in Michigan, California, England and Wales. She received her LL.B. from the University of Law, London, and her B.A. from Trinity College Dublin. She is recognized by Legal 500 in both the Venture Capital & Emerging Companies and the Private Equity Buyouts categories.

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About Gunderson Dettmer

Gunderson Dettmer is the preeminent international law firm with an exclusive focus on the innovation economy. With more than 450 attorneys across ten offices in key venture markets throughout the world – Silicon Valley, Ann Arbor, Austin, Beijing, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco and Singapore – the firm serves market-leading venture capital and growth equity investors and pioneering private companies through inception, growth and maturity, as well as the groundbreaking public companies that result from the global venture capital ecosystem. Gunderson Dettmer’s experience and technical acumen allows its attorneys to predict, prioritize, and produce strategic solutions for our clients at every business phase.