Julia K. Cowles

Partner

julia.cowles@davispolk.com

Ms. Cowles is a partner in Davis Polk’s Corporate Department, based in our Menlo Park office. Her practice includes a broad range of corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and corporate advisory matters. In the capital markets and corporate finance area, she has represented companies and investment banks in a wide variety of transactions, including public offerings, private placements and tender and exchange offers involving a variety of equity, debt, hybrid and convertible instruments. Ms. Cowles also advises corporations and venture capital entities on acquisitions, joint ventures, refinancing transactions and other matters.

She has significant experience in cross-border transactions, principally for clients in Europe and Latin America.

Contact

Menlo Park
1600 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025
P: 650-752-2007
F: 650-752-3607

Related Practices

Bar Admissions

State of California
State of New York
U.S. District Court, S.D. New York

Education

A.B., Hamilton College, 1984
- cum laude
J.D., Fordham University School of Law, 1989
- cum laude
- Commentary Editor, Law Review

Work Highlights

Recent Representations

M&A Transactions

Vector Capital's acquisition of Gerber Scientific, Inc.
Gerber Scientific's spinoff of its Spandex distribution business
The Carlyle Group in its investment in wealth advisor and asset manager Avalon Advisors LLC
GSI Commerce’s special board committee in connection with eBay’s acquisition of GSI Commerce
Oracle Corporation in its acquisitions of Phase Forward Incorporated and Art Technology Group
Noble Group in its acquisition of Sempra Energy Solutions
Roche in its acquisition of BioImagene
Frontier Airlines Holdings, Inc.’s sale to Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. and related auction proceedings relating to Frontier’s Chapter 11 plan of reorganization
Citigroup’s joint venture with Morgan Stanley to combine Morgan Stanley’s Global Wealth Management Group with Citigroup’s Smith Barney retail brokerage business
VF Corporation’s acquisition of Mo Industries and Seven For All Mankind
Quality Systems Inc.’s special board committee in connection with a full-slate proxy contest
Smith & Nephew’s acquisition of Blue Sky Medical
XOJet in connection with an investment by TPG Capital
Stockbridge Real Estate Investment Funds in financing and joint venture transactions relating to its investments in Hollywood Park Racetrack and Santa Monica development project

Capital Markets and Financing Transactions

Public offering of 1,900,000 shares of common stock of GSV Capital Corp
Valmont Industries $150 million senior notes offering
Ixia $125 million convertible senior notes offering
Allergan, Inc. $650 million notes offering
Public offering of 6,000,000 shares of common stock of Viasat, Inc.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals $58 million block trade
Initial public offering of ReachLocal
E*TRADE Financial Corporation on its capital raising and debt restructuring transactions, including a common stock offering and restructuring of $1.7 billion of debt securities
Oracle’s issuance of $4.5 billion of senior debt securities
Sallie Mae on its issuance of $3.15 billion of common stock and convertible preferred securities
Securities offerings by Westar Energy, Kansas Gas and Electric, Great Plains Energy and Kansas City Power and Light, including secured and unsecured debt, common stock and structured products

Other Matters

Pro bono engagements in the microfinance sector, including financing transactions for MicroCredit Enterprises, Shared Interest and issuers of notes of Microplace

Recognition

Ms. Cowles is recipient of the 2012 CLAY “Attorney of the Year” Award from California Lawyer magazine for “extraordinary achievement in Transactional Law” for work on the $2.4 billion acquisition of GSI Commerce Inc. by eBay.

Of Note

Memberships

Member, Corporations Committee, State Bar of California
Member, American Bar Association
Member, Hamilton College Board of Trustees

Professional History

Partner, 1998-present
Associate, 1990-1998
London office, 1993-1995; 2001-2005

Law Clerk, Hon. Richard J. Cardamone, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit 1989-1990

News

Great Plains Energy $287 Million Notes Remarketing

GSV Capital Follow-On Common Stock Offering

Two Davis Polk Partners Named “California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year”

View More > >

Publications

06/25/2009

Conducting Due Diligence | Practicing Law Institute Faculty, San Francisco, CA

Client Publications

Preparing Your 2011 Form 20-F
Client Memorandum

SEC Staff to Limit Non-Public Initial Review Process for Non-U.S. Issuers
Client Newsflash

Governance Practices for IPO Companies: A Davis Polk Survey
Client Memorandum

View More > >

Events

Julia Cowles to Speak at PLI’s “Acquiring or Selling the Privately Held Company” Program

Last Name
Title ALL TITLES Associate Consultant Counsel Counsel - Registered Foreign Lawyer General Counsel Litigation Counsel Partner Registered Foreign Lawyer Senior Counsel Special Counsel for Pro Bono
Offices ALL OFFICES Beijing Hong Kong London Madrid Menlo Park New York Paris São Paulo Tokyo Washington DC
Practices ALL PRACTICES Antitrust and Competition -- Litigation Antitrust and Competition -- Transactional Asia Practice Bankruptcy Litigation Board of Directors Litigation and Strategic Counseling Capital Markets China Practice Commercial Dispute and Contract Compliance and Advisory Compliance and Advisory Consumer Class Action Consumer Products Corporate Corporate Governance Credit Derivatives and Structured Products Energy/Utilities Environmental Europe Practice Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Financial Crisis and Subprime Lending Financial Institutions Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Health Care Health Care/Life Sciences Hedge Funds India Practice Insolvency and Restructuring Intellectual Property Intellectual Property Litigation Internal Investigations International International and Domestic Arbitration International Litigation and Enforcement Investment Funds Litigation and Investigations Investment Management Japan Practice Leveraged Finance Litigation M&A-Related Litigation Mass Torts and Product Liability Media and Telecom Mergers and Acquisitions Private Equity Professional Liability Project Finance Real Estate Securities Class Actions Securities Enforcement Spain and Latin America Practice Tax Tax Controversy Technology Trading and Markets Trusts and Estates White Collar Criminal Defense
Law School ALL SCHOOLS American University, Washington College of Law Beijing Foreign Studies University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Bond University Faculty of Law Bordeaux University Boston University School of Law BPP Law School Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School Brooklyn Law School Campus Law Centre, Delhi University Chicago-Kent College of Law - I.I.T. China University of Political Science and Law College of Law, London Columbia Law School Columbia University Cornell Law School Duke University School of Law Ecole de formation des Barreaux (EFB-Paris) Emory University School of Law Fordham University School of Law Frankfurt University, Institute for Law and Finance Fudan University Law School George Washington University George Washington University Law School Georgetown University Law Center Ghent University Faculty of Law Harvard Law School Hofstra University School of Law Howard University School of Law Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Faculty of Law King's College London School of Law King's College, University of London London School of Economics London School of Economics and Political Science London School of Economics Department of Law McGill University, Faculty of Law Murdoch University School of Law National Taiwan University (NTU Law) National University of Singapore Faculty of Law New York University New York University School of Law Northwestern University School of Law Osgoode Hall Law School of York University Peking University Pontificia Universidade Católica de São Paulo Faculdade Paulista de Direito Queensland University of Technology Renmin University of China Renmin University of China Law School Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Die Juristiche Fakultät Rutgers University Rutgers University School of Law - Newark Seton Hall University School of Law Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade Shanghai University of Finance and Economics St. John's University School of Law Stanford Law School Stockholm University School of Law SUNY Buffalo Tel Aviv University The College of Law, Chester, England Transnational Law and Business University Trinity College, Dublin School of Law Trinity College, University of Cambridge Tsinghua University UC Berkeley - Boalt Hall School of Law UC Hastings College of the Law UCLA School of Law Universidad Carlos III de Madrid School of Social Sciences and Law Universidad Católica Argentina (Buenos Aires), Facultad de Derecho Universidad de Buenos Aires Universidad de Deusto Universität Zu Köln Université de Strasbourg - Faculté de Droit, Sciences Economiques et Gestion Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 - Faculté de droit Université Nancy II - Faculté de Droit, Sciences Economiques et Gestion Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas Université Paris-Sud XI University at Buffalo Law School - SUNY University of Bristol School of Law University of British Columbia Faculty of Law University of Cambridge University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law University of Cape Town University of Cape Town, Faculty of Law University of Chicago University of Chicago Law School University of Connecticut School of Law University of Delhi Faculty of Law University of East Anglia University of Edinburgh School of Law University of Genoa (Italy) University of Georgia School of Law University of Glasgow School of Law University of Groningen University of Hong Kong University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Law University of International Business & Economics University of Iowa College of Law University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law University of London University of Melbourne University of Melbourne Law School University of Miami School of Law University of Michigan University of Michigan Law School University of Minnesota Law School University of Munich, Faculty of Law University of Murcia University of Naples Federico II School of Law University of Natal, School of Law University of New South Wales University of New South Wales, Faculty of Law University of Notre Dame Law School University of Otago, Faculty of Law University of Oxford University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania Law School University of Pittsburgh School of Law University of Queensland University of Queensland, TC Beirne School of Law University of San Diego School of Law University of South Carolina School of Law University of Stellenbosch, Faculty of Law University of Sydney Law School University of Tel Aviv, The Buchmann Faculty of Law University of Texas at Austin University of Texas School of Law University of the West of England, Bristol University of the Witwatersrand, Oliver Schreiner School of Law University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law University of Toronto, Faculty of Law University of Toronto, Faculty of Law/Joseph L. Rotman School of Management University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law University of Virginia University of Virginia School of Law University of Warsaw, Faculty of Law and Administration University of Washington School of Law (Seattle) University of Western Australia University of Western Australia, Faculty of Law University of Western Ontario University of Wisconsin Law School Univerzita Karlova v Praze Vanderbilt University Law School Wake Forest University School of Law Washington & Lee University School of Law Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis School of Law Wayne State University Law School Yale Law School Yale University
Clerkship ALL CLERKSHIPS Amon, Carol Bagley Aspen, Marvin E. Bates, John D. Bea, Carlos T. Becker, Edward R. Beezer, Robert Berman, Richard Bernstein, Stuart M. Binnie, Ian Block, Frederic Boggs, Danny J. Bork, Robert H. Boyle, Terrence Breitel, Charles D. Breyer, Stephen G. Brody, Morton A. Brown, Janice Rogers Buchwald, Naomi Reice Byrne, Jr., William Matthew Cabranes, José A. Caffrey, Andrew A. Callinan, Ian Cardamone, Richard J. Casey, Richard Conway Castel, P. Kevin Cedarbaum, Miriam Goldman Chagares, Michael A. Chandler III, William B. Chin, Denny Clark, Thomas A. Clay, Eric L. Coffey, John L. Conboy, Kenneth Conner, William C. Cote, Denise Cummings, Walter J. Cyr, Conrad K. Daniels, George B. Davis, Legrome Drain, Robert D. Duffy, Kevin Thomas Edelstein, David N. Feinberg, Wilfred Fisher, Raymond C. Flannery, Thomas A. Fogel, Jeremy Fuentes, Julio Gagliardi, Lee P Garaufis, Nicholas G. Garibaldi, Marie L. Garth, Leonard I. Ginsburg, Douglas H. Ginsburg, Ruth Bader Glasscock III, Sam Glasser, I. Leo Gleeson, John Goettel, Gerard L. Goodwin, Alfred T. Gorenstein, Gabriel W. Greenberg, Morton I. Gregory, Roger L. Griesa, Thomas P. Grunis, Asher Haight, Jr., Charles S. Hall, John E. Hays, Paul R. Henry, Robert H. Herndon, David R. Hornby, D. Brock Hurley, Denis R. Iacobucci, Frank Imber, Annabelle Clinton Irenas, Joseph E. Irizarry, Dora L. Jacobs, Dennis Jiuyong, Shi Judges' Chambers, Senior Kaplan, Lewis A. Karas, Kenneth M. Katzmann, Robert A. Kaufman, Chief Judge, Irving R. Kearse, Amalya L. Keeley, Irene M. Kelly, Jr., Paul J. Kennedy Jr., Henry H. Kennedy, Anthony M. Kennedy, Cornelia G. King, Carolyn Koeltl, John G. Korman, Edward R. Kravitch, Phyllis A. Laster, Travis Leaphart, W. William Lechner, Jr., Alfred J. Legg, Benson E. Leisure, Peter K. Leon, Richard J. Letts, J. Spencer Leval, Pierre N. Lew, Ronald S.W. Lumbard, J. Edward Luttig, J. Michael Marshall, Thurgood Martin, Jr., John S. Matthes, M.C. Mauskopf, Roslynn R. McLaughlin, Joseph M. McLaughlin, Mary A. McMahon, Colleen Motz, J. Frederick Mukasey, Michael B. Murphy, Diana E. Nelson, David A. Newman, Jon O. Nickerson, Eugene Oakes, James L. O'Scannlian, Diarmuid F. Otis, Louise Owen, Richard Parker, Barrington D. Patterson, Jr., Robert Pauley III, William H. Pitman, Henry B. Platt, Thomas C. Pogue, Donald C. Pollak, Louis H. Pooler, Rosemary S. Pratt, George C. Preska, Loretta A. Raggi, Reena Rehnquist, William H. Robinson, Stephen C. Roth, Jane R. Sand, Leonard B. Saunders, Mary E. Scalia, Antonin Scheindlin, Shira A. Seitz, Collins J. Sifton, Charles P. Silberman, Laurence Silberman, Laurence H. Skotnikov, Leonid Smith, D. Brooks Smith, Jerry E. Snow, G. Murray Sprizzo, John E. Stahl, Norman H. Stotler, Alicemarie H. Straub, Chester J. Sullivan, Richard J. Swain, Laura Taylor Sweet, Robert W. Sykes, Diane Tauro, Joseph L. Thomas, Clarence Thompson, David Tjoflat, Gerald B. Townes, Sandra L. Trager, David G. Van Dusen, Francis L. Wallace, J. Clifford Walls, William H. Webster, William H. Weinfeld, Edward Weinstein, Jack B. Wellford, Harry W. Wesley, Richard C. White, Byron R. Widener, Jr., H.E. Wilbur, Richard C. Williams, Richard L. Williams, Stephen F. Winter, Ralph K. Wisdom, John Minor Wollman, Roger Wright, Caleb M. Young, William G. ALL COURTS British Columbia Court of Appeals Delaware Court of Chancery District of Columbia Court of Appeals High Court of Australia International Court of Justice Montana Supreme Court New Jersey Supreme Court New York Court of Appeals Quebec Court of Appeals Supreme Court of Arkansas Supreme Court of Canada Supreme Court of Israel U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit U.S. Court of International Trade U.S. District Court, Arizona U.S. District Court, C.D. California U.S. District Court, Delaware U.S. District Court, District of Columbia U.S. District Court, E.D. New York U.S. District Court, E.D. North Carolina U.S. District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania U.S. District Court, E.D. Virginia U.S. District Court, Maine U.S. District Court, Maryland U.S. District Court, Massachusetts U.S. District Court, N.D. California U.S. District Court, N.D. Illinois U.S. District Court, N.D. West Virginia U.S. District Court, New Jersey U.S. District Court, S.D. Illinois U.S. District Court, S.D. New York U.S. Supreme Court U.S. Tax Court