Press Release
Press Release
Press Contacts: Erik Cummins, Matt Hyams, Taina Rosa, Olivia Thomas
05.08.25
As Pillsbury continues to reinforce its position at the forefront of the technology sector, the firm has announced the addition of leading Global Sourcing & Tech Transactions partner Daphne Higgs in the firm’s Silicon Valley and London offices. Higgs, who will serve as Bay Area and London Chair of Technology Transactions and Artificial Intelligence at Pillsbury, was previously a partner with Morrison Foerster where she was a core member of the firm’s AI Steering Committee.
“As businesses seize upon the efficiencies that artificial intelligence and other technologies can afford them, demand for sophisticated counsel that can navigate the nuanced contractual, integration and implementation issues related to these tools has been skyrocketing,” said Firm Chair David Dekker. “Daphne further advances the ability of our market-leading Global Sourcing and Tech Transactions practice to meet this growing need, bringing a powerful combination of extensive experience with these innovative tools and their governance, a commercial mind set, and a deep connection with the AI space in the U.S. and Europe.”
Higgs advises emerging growth to Fortune 50 companies on a host of complex commercial arrangements, intellectual property issues and other strategic transactions, including joint ventures, cross-border strategic alliances, product and service launches, patent and technology licensing agreements, and outsourcing arrangements. She also provides strategic IP, privacy and data security advice in connection with M&A, venture capital, private equity and spinout transactions. She has significant experience in AI-related legal issues, including compliance, licensing, risk management and governance as well.
Her experience spans a broad range of sectors, including AI, blockchain, digital assets, digital health, quantum computing, Internet of Things (IoT), fintech, cybersecurity, semiconductors, consumer products and entertainment. Higgs was named 2024 Technology Lawyer of the Year by Euromoney, was previously named a Woman of Influence by the Silicon Valley Business Journal in 2023 and a Women Leader in Tech Law by The Recorder in 2022.
“Daphne has established herself as one of the key players in the world of technology,” said Elizabeth Zimmer, leader of the firm’s Global Sourcing & Technology Transactions practice. “Beyond her exceptional reputation in Silicon Valley, she has deep relationships with industry-leading, brand-name technology companies in the UK, Canada, Argentina and throughout the world. She exemplifies the kind of commercial, entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit that our clients value most, and that has become the hallmark of our exceptional Global Sourcing and Tech Transactions team.”
Pillsbury’s Global Sourcing & Technology Transactions practice is the world’s largest customer-focused group of its kind and is continuing to expand to meet client needs. Just last month, the firm welcomed Chambers-ranked GS&TT practitioner Adam Chernichaw as a partner in New York. That growth is just one facet of a broader expansion of the firm’s tech-focused practices, which also include recent arrivals like Silicon Valley-based emerging companies lawyer Steven Green, who has significant experience in Life Sciences and Digital Health sector, and VC investment funds partner David Holland in Washington, DC. All in all, the firm has welcomed a total of 31 lateral partners since the start of 2024.
Upon joining, Higgs added: “Pillsbury has exceptional strength in the tech sector, with extensive experience that spans cutting-edge issues across a host of practice areas. I know some of the amazing lawyers here personally—including former colleagues Matt Kirmayer in San Francisco and Andy Smetana in Austin—and recognize countless others among the very best in the business. Pillsbury presents an exceptional platform from which to help clients, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”
Pillsbury’s Global Sourcing & Technology Transactions practice is consistently recognized as one of the “World’s Best Outsourcing Advisors” by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals and as a national and global leader by Chambers and The Legal 500. Consistently at the forefront of developing technologies and sourcing solutions over the past 30 years, the firm’s lawyers have architected more than 1,000 strategic outsourcing and technology transactions with an aggregate value exceeding half a trillion dollars.