John A. Dado is a partner in the Cooley Business department. Resident in the Palo Alto office, he has been with the Firm since 1993 and is part of the Venture Capital practice group.
Mr. Dado's practice is focused on the formation and operation of private equity firms, including venture capital funds, buy-out funds, fund of funds and investment advisory businesses. He has been involved on behalf of the sponsor in the formation of several dozen venture capital or buy-out funds in his career, ranging in size from multi-billion dollar buy-out partnerships to very small early-stage venture capital firms. Mr. Dado also regularly counsels a select number of institutional investors with regard to their limited partner investments in private equity funds. He maintains expertise in the formation, governance and investing activities of investment partnerships, including securities law matters, partnership agreement terms and conditions, investor relations and relevant tax and accounting considerations. Mr. Dado regularly counsels teams of investment professionals with respect to their internal affairs relating to the formation and operation of venture capital or buy-out funds, and has significant expertise with respect to the departure of senior investment professionals from such firms. His practice also encompasses the representation of various types of private equity funds in private financing transactions. Mr. Dado has been included as one of The Best Lawyers in America in 2006 - 2015.
Mr. Dado is a regular speaker at private equity industry conferences and symposia.
Mr. Dado received a JD in 1990 from University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. Prior to joining Cooley, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable John G. Davies of the U.S. District Court, Central District of California. Mr. Dado received a BS degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1984, graduating with high honors in Business Administration.
He is a member of the State Bar of California.
