Latham & Watkins LLP1 is pleased to announce that Colin Stretch, Facebook Inc.’s (now Meta Platforms, Inc.) General Counsel from 2013-2019, has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as Of Counsel, with a focus on the Public Company Representation and Emerging Companies Practices. He will provide strategic counsel to clients, including pre-IPO and public companies and boards of directors, on a wide range of issues, spanning transactional, regulatory, public policy, and litigation matters across the globe.
“We are honored to welcome such a distinguished and outstanding talent to the firm,” said Daniel Lennon, Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins’ Washington, D.C. office. “Colin is a superb strategist with exceptional regulatory, litigation, and corporate governance experience, and he will prove an asset to clients addressing the various high-profile and complex situations that he routinely encountered at Facebook.”
As General Counsel, Stretch oversaw Facebook’s legal and compliance functions and corporate legal affairs. He joined Facebook in 2010 and during his time there worked on matters ranging from litigation over the company’s founding to the IPO and its aftermath; from major regulatory investigations in the US and abroad to congressional testimony relating to foreign interference in the 2016 election; from the acquisitions of Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus to the implementation of major privacy legislation in Europe. He also brings experience working in both private practice and in government service.
Ian Schuman, Global Chair of Latham’s Capital Markets & Public Company Representation Practices, said: “Colin possesses tremendous on-the-ground expertise in the full range of cutting-edge corporate issues. He will deliver commercial and practical advice to our ever-growing public company client base navigating a dynamic market environment.”
John Chory, Global Chair of the firm’s Emerging Companies Practice, said: “Colin brings a valued insider’s perspective of one of the world’s greatest company evolution success stories. He will assist clients across industries, technology in particular, as they navigate the complex journey from formation through public offering and beyond.”
Michele Johnson, Global Chair of Latham’s Litigation & Trial Department, said: “Colin is a world-class litigator who has advised on some of the highest-profile cases in recent history. He will be an invaluable resource to our clients across jurisdictions facing novel litigation, antitrust, privacy, and regulatory issues.”
After leaving Facebook in 2019, Stretch spent two years as Leader-in-Residence at Columbia Law and Business Schools’ Reuben Mark Initiative for Organizational Character and Leadership, where he taught classes on the Role of the General Counsel in the Modern Economy and Internet Platforms: Law and Responsibility. He continues to serve as a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School and is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Columbia Business School.
“I am thrilled to join Latham’s talented team, global platform, and collaborative culture that I got to know while a client,” Stretch said. “I’m looking forward to using my experience and working with colleagues across disciplines to propel clients’ growth and success.”
Stretch received his JD, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School and an undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Dartmouth College. Earlier in his career, Stretch clerked for US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and for Judge Laurence H. Silberman of the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and he was an Honors Program attorney in the US Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.
