Orrick announced today that Pete Fusco, an advisor to tech companies and venture funds, has joined the firm as a partner in the New York office. Pete, who was formerly a partner with Lowenstein Sandler, will lead Orrick’s New York tech companies practice.

Pete represents tech companies and venture funds in growth, venture and seed funding, as well as M&A. He serves as outside general counsel to many startup and growth companies. Pete also works closely with NYU/Poly’s Future Lab’s incubator ecosystem and its related programs (such as Future Labs AI accelerators), Bunker Labs (Veterans in Tech) and BMW/Mini Urban-X accelerators.

“A top advisor in the New York market, Pete will be an outstanding leader for Orrick’s New York tech companies team,” said Stephen Venuto, head of Orrick’s global Tech Companies Group. “Pete’s addition, together with our strong portfolio of New York tech company clients and VC relationships, positions Orrick to be one of the top players in New York City.”

Orrick advises numerous New York-based high growth companies, including Betterment, WarbyParker, FanDuel, Chime, Genius, Hungryroot, Jack Erwin,  Codecademy and SailThru, among many others. The firm works closely with NY venture firms such as Bessemer Venture partners, Coatue Management, Greycroft Partners, Red Sea Ventures and Warburg Pincus.

“I’m thrilled to join Orrick’s leading global tech platform and to team up with partners like Christopher Austin, John Bautista, AnikGuha and Stephen Venuto,” Pete said. “This team has earned a stellar reputation for providing innovative advice for some of the most disruptive high growth companies. And the firm has built a tech-focused skillset across all of the areas – corporate and finance, litigation and public policy – that high-growth companies need as they grow. I look forward to collaborating with this great team to build a market-leading New York practice.”

Prior to the law, Pete served as a rifleman and crew-served weapons instructor in an infantry unit in the Army Reserve and graduated as the Distinguished Honor Graduate for his class from the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Orrick’s New York growth follows a string of additions to the firm’s platform globally. Last month, the firm launched a Santa Monica office to focus on serving the Silicon Beach market. Since 2015, the firm has added tech-focused partners in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Houston, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Munich, Milan – and now New York.

The Recorder’s 2016 Corporate Department of the Year for Emerging Companies, Orrick provides comprehensive counseling to more than 1,600 high-growth companies in markets worldwide, including numerous unicorns and leading venture capital firms. Last year, the firm helped clients raise more than $5 billion in venture capital in 35 countries.