Biography
Professor Christopher M. Koa leverages his 20+ years of in-house and business-side experience to lead privacy, data security, data breach response, technology transactions, cloud computing, software, e-commerce, licensing and commercial matters from both customer and provider perspectives, as well as M&A transactions, corporate securities, venture capital financings, equity public offerings (including IPOs) and other corporate transactions.
Professor Koa has served in a broad range of in-house counsel positions focused on technology transactions, software-as-a-service, software, privacy, security, commercial, M&A and corporate transactional work including at Microsoft, Dell, BP and Costco and was in private practice with AmLaw 100 law firms including Wilson Sonsini and Dorsey & Whitney. He has also acquired business-side experience as an investment banker with WR Hambrecht + Co. focused on capital raising and M&A for emerging growth companies and business development experience with Marsh McLennan. Before acquiring extensive in-house counsel and business-side experience, Chris clerked for The Honorable Edward J. Schwartz, United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
Professor Koa earned a J.D. from NYU Law School, M.P.A. from Princeton University and B.A. in English Literature from Carleton College; is a member of the Washington, California and Texas bars; and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional for the US, Europe and Canada (CIPP/US, CIPP/E and CIPP/C) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals.
