Bio

Garland Allison is co-chair of Cooley’s private equity practice group. He advises private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on mergers, acquisitions and business transactions. He also serves as outside corporate counsel to the portfolio companies of his private equity fund clients. Sonny is a trusted business adviser who brings a commercial approach to transactions, always looking for creative solutions to drive transactions forward to closing. Sonny recognizes the importance of the partnership that is created between the private equity sponsor and rollover sellers, and clients often comment on his positive and collaborative “bedside manner” with opposing counsel and sellers – even during difficult negotiations. He has extensive experience with leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations, mergers, equity acquisitions, asset acquisitions, and dispositions, and he’s active in the boardroom, advising directors on their fiduciary duties and providing input from a legal and business perspective. Sonny’s experience involves deals across several high-growth industries, including technology, software, telecommunications, healthcare, life sciences, financial services, fintech and business services. He is widely recognized as a go-to M&A lawyer and is ranked by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers and The Legal 500 US. He was named a 2023 Lawyer of the Year for Mergers and Acquisitions Law by Best Lawyers.