Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP, a multidisciplinary, integrated professional services firm, have hired venture capital and emerging companies partners Thomas W. Michael and Rustin M. Brown to its Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. offices, respectively. The two attorneys augment the firm’s digital and technology group, which provides legal services and strategic business consulting to an expanding roster of venture capital and private equity firms, startup companies, and large corporate players engaging in the ever-evolving world where technology meets industry.

“Over the past year, the pandemic has accelerated digital transformation for companies of all sizes across virtually every industry,” said Donna L. Wilson, Manatt’s CEO and managing partner. “Our digital and technology Group, led by venture capitalist and entrepreneur Lisa Suennen, is rapidly growing as we expand our specialized legal, regulatory and consulting offerings to meet the varied needs of our clients. Thomas and Rustin’s arrival underscores our commitment to advising entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies and VCs across all stages of their digital initiatives and growth.”

“Our team is a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs, business leaders and investors alike, working in partnership with them to help them build their businesses, find new opportunities and navigate the rapidly changing technology sector,” said Suennen, who also leads the firm’s venture capital fund. “Through Manatt Venture Fund—our corporate venture arm, which is invested in dozens of funds and companies—we have firsthand experience working through similar issues faced by investors and their portfolio companies. Thomas and Rustin will further expand our comprehensive capabilities and add breadth and value to a team that is already working with many of the nation’s best companies, brands and innovators.”

“Manatt’s interdisciplinary and diverse team of lawyers, entrepreneurs, consultants, policy professionals and venture capitalists is a true reflection of the clients it represents, and I look forward to working closely with some of the most respected and forward-thinking professionals at the intersection of business, policy and the law,” said Michael.

“I have long admired Manatt’s unique professional services approach to its client work and am eager to continue building my practice at an entrepreneurially minded firm that has a demonstrated commitment to improving diversity both internally and among the clients we serve,” added Brown.