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Annette E. Becker

Annette Becker is a co-practice area leader for the firm-wide Corporate practice at K&L Gates of over 500 lawyers. She also co-leads the firm’s Technology Industry Group. She was named a Leading Lawyer by Legal 500 for mid-market M&A and a Leading Lawyer for Business, Corporate/Commercial in Seattle by Chambers USA.  Annette also serves on the firm-wide Women in the Profession Committee, is co-chair of the Seattle Women in the Profession Committee and serves on the Seattle office Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Annette’s career has spanned over 30 years practicing corporate law with an emphasis on domestic and cross border mergers and acquisitions for clients such as Microsoft Corporation, ePlus inc., and Smartsheet Inc. Annette’s practice includes serial M&A resulting in her development of long-term partnerships with her clients, some spanning more than 20 years. Annette regularly leads large cross-disciplinary deal teams on cross border engagements. Her corporate transactional experience includes joint venture transactions and complex equity financings such as Microsoft’s multi-billion dollar investments in OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT. Annette is a trusted advisor to her company clients and their boards as to corporate governance issues and general corporate matters.

  • Recognized by Chambers USA for Business, Corporate/Commercial in Seattle
  • Recognized by The Legal 500 United States for Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Chair, Membership Committee, Technology Alliance, January 2016 through present
  • Board of Directors, ArtsFund, October 2010 through 2016
  • Board of Directors, The Kline Galland Center and The Kline Galland Foundation, June 2010 through 2016
  • Investment Committee, Bertschi School, July 2015 through 2019
  • Liaison to Seattle Chapter, Women Presidents Organization, 2002 through 2016
  • Women Presidents Organization, Zenith Group, 2016 through present
  • Board of Directors, New Beginnings, 2005 through 2009
  • Speaker, “Seattle Women in Tech Regatta 2023: ChatGPT and Generative AI for Good,” Seattle, WA, May 2023
  • Moderator, “Capital Solutions for Financially Stressed Companies,” Northwest Middle Market Growth Conferences, Seattle, WA, September 2020
  • Speaker, “Art and Science of the IP Deal - The Structure of Deals,” University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, WA, April 2017
  • Speaker, “Seattle Women in Leadership Symposium,” Pacific Northwest Leadership Symposium, Seattle, WA, April 2017
  • Speaker, “Surviving and Thriving in Challenging Work Environments,” International Legal Technology Association, January 2017
  • Speaker, “Positioning Your Company for Sale and Selling It,” K&L Gates LLP Breakfast Briefing, Seattle, WA, October 2015
  • Speaker, “Mergers & Acquisitions in Technology Industries,” The Seminar Group, Seattle, WA, November 2014
  • Speaker, “Striking the Right Deal, Oversight of M&A and International Ventures,” KPMG Fall 2013 Audit Committee Roundtable Series, Seattle, WA, December 2013
  • Speaker, “Selling a Company to Maximize Value,” Association for Corporate Growth, Seattle, WA, October 2013
  • Speaker, “Key Negotiation Issues, Tips, and Tactics in M&A Deals,” Association of Corporate Counsel, Washington State Chapter, February 2013
  • Speaker, “Traps for the Unwary,” Angel Capital Association, Northwest Regional Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, May 2012
  • Moderator, “Spotlight on Growing Game/ Interactive Entertainment Industry,” Association for Corporate Growth, Seattle, WA, June 2011
  • Speaker, “Valuation Uncertainty in Today’s M&A Negotiations: Techniques for Getting Deals Done,” presented by K&L Gates, Seattle, WA, April 2010
  • Moderator, “CEO Roundtable 2009,” Women Business Owners
  • Speaker, “Mergers & Acquisitions Forecast for 2009,” Pacific Northwest Mergers and Acquisitions Forum
Additional Thought Leadership Pages
Additional News & Event Pages
  • Quoted, "Bartell deal follows larger M&A trend among family-owned businesses," Puget Sound Business Journal, 12 October 2020
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