As firmwide managing partner, Rodger harnesses Fenwick’s collective strengths to recruit and retain top talent, meet client needs and deliver superior client service.
Under Rodger’s leadership Fenwick has strengthened its position as a go-to law firm for technology and life sciences companies. His focus on strategic growth includes overseeing the firm’s expansion to Santa Monica and growth in New York.
Rodger has helped reinforce Fenwick’s reputation as a top place to work by implementing pioneering law firm benefits such as expanded parental leave for all parents, and supporting numerous other diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. During his tenure as managing partner, the firm has received numerous accolades, including being named Technology Group of the Year for five of the last eight years by Law360 (2021) and ranking No. 1 in The American Lawyer's Composite Ranking Index of key financial and diversity metrics (2021).
In his legal practice, Rodger is widely hailed as a top litigator for prominent Silicon Valley companies. For more than 25 years, he has helped technology and consumer product companies achieve their goals in complex commercial and intellectual property disputes, including mass arbitrations. He has defended technology companies in more than 100 class actions, including many published decisions from district courts and courts of appeal.
Clients turn to Rodger for his ability to quickly understand their key business drivers and work with them to develop an early strategy to win or resolve a dispute. Most recently, he successfully defended a long-time client, a global technology firm, in a Ninth Circuit appeal related to a class action suit involving one of the company’s financial software products.
Being able to help guide clients through new issues about how old laws would apply to new technologies is super interesting. Lawyers are often all about precedents and what has happened before. And there are no cases or precedents when you're talking about digital health, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, AI or AR/VR.”
Rodger Cole
Law360, 2019