Wilson Sonsini Picks Up Second Austin Corporate Partner from Shearman

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has added Austin corporate partner Brian Dillavou, the firm announced on Monday.

With the move, Dillavou is teaming back up with Matt Lyons, who left Shearman & Sterling for Wilson Sonsini three months ago. Dillavou was part of the Lyons-led Andrews Kurth group that opened Shearman’s Austin office in 2018.

“Austin is very much the active and growing market we expected it to be for technology and life sciences innovators, as well as investors,” Doug Clark, managing partner at Wilson Sonsini, said in the firm’s announcement. “Brian’s strong base of early-stage company and investor relationships puts him in an excellent position as the newest member of our growing team in Austin.”

Dillavou represents start-ups and emerging growth companies from formation and early-stage financings through strategic exits, such as IPOs and mergers and acquisitions. He said “it is exciting to work with a firm that has such a large range of technology-driven clients that are shaping domestic and global markets on a daily basis.”

In April, Dillavou was part of the Shearman team that guided Ibere Pharmaceuticals, a Pittsburgh-based blank-check company, through the closing of a $138 million IPO on the New York Stock Exchange.

The Texas Lawbook’s Corporate Deal Tracker Roundup has reported on multiple financings that Dillavou has represented clients in over the past couple of years. He has advised Dallas-based Spotio in a $4.5 million Series A funding; Houston-based Decisio Health Inc. on its $11.7 million Series B financing led by GE Health; and Dallas-based Theatro Labs Inc. on its $20 million Series C financing led by Sageview.

Diallvou received his law degree from the University of Texas in 2007 and started his career at Baker Botts. He moved to Andrews Kurth in 2010 and made partner there in 2016.