October 30, 2024 — Procopio’s partnership has elected award-winning corporate law partner Dennis Doucette as its new Managing Partner. Dennis immediately begins a three-year term, succeeding John D. Alessio, who passed away on September 3, 2024. John, in his third term, had served as Managing Partner for nearly seven years. John succeeded a partner who had held the position for seventeen years. This makes Dennis only the third individual to serve as Managing Partner in nearly 25 years, and sixth overall in the storied history of the law firm.

“It’s an honor to be selected by my fellow partners to lead this AmLaw 200 firm and its remarkable attorneys and staff. I believe my previous leadership roles at Procopio have prepared me to work alongside my Management Committee colleagues to ensure unparalleled client service and strategic firm growth,” said Dennis. “This is, nonetheless, a bittersweet moment as I step into the role so expertly managed by my esteemed predecessor. All of us at Procopio continue to feel John Alessio’s absence profoundly. I vow to do everything I can to continue his legacy of vision and empathy.”

Dennis specializes in helping companies with formation, funding, and acquisition. He advises buyers, sellers, and investors in mergers, stock and asset purchases, management buyouts, reorganizations, and related transactions. Operating out of Procopio’s Del Mar Heights office, he has extensive experience with corporate structuring, stock issuances, recapitalizations and reorganizations, stock restriction agreements, advising officers and directors, equity incentives and compensation, securities compliance, higher education law, and corporate governance. Having participated in more than 500 corporate finance transactions—including mergers and acquisitions and venture financing—he is recognized in seven corporate law categories by Best Lawyers® and by Super Lawyers® for Mergers & Acquisitions Law.

Prior to his election to Procopio’s Management Committee in 2023, Dennis led the firm’s Business and Technology Team for five years, composed of corporate law attorneys and legal staff. Dennis also holds several leadership roles outside the firm. He serves on the boards of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, Design Institute of San Diego (where he is also CFO and General Counsel) and is Vice-Chair of the University of San Diego Board of Visitors (where he also Co-Chairs the Law School Facilities Capital Campaign), and he recently concluded a three-year term on the board of Meritas, a global alliance of leading independent law firms. He holds a JD from the University of San Diego School of Law and two economics degrees from the University of Southern California.

In addition to Dennis’ election as Managing Partner, litigation partner Mindy Morton was re-elected to the Management Committee for a new four-year term. Mindy focuses on intellectual property, data privacy, internet, and healthcare litigation, representing companies from funded start-ups to public corporations in trade secret, privacy, copyright, trademark, patent, and complex commercial disputes. With a reputation for assisting clients in commercial litigation involving software contracts, intellectual property licenses, and non-compete agreements, she has been named to the Super Lawyers® list since 2015 and is based in Procopio’s Silicon Valley office.

Other Management Committee members include Partners Enrique Hernandez-Pulido, S. Todd Neal, and Xiaofan “Frank” Yang, alongside Chief Operating & Compliance Officer James Perkins.