Contributors

SAN FRANCISCO (October 19, 2026) – Womble Bond Dickinson announced today that partner Jamie Chou has been named office managing partner of its San Francisco and Walnut Creek offices, effective immediately.

Chou joined Womble Bond Dickinson in 2022 through the firm’s combination with Cooper, White & Cooper LLP, the 126-year-old San Francisco firm that established Womble’s presence in the city. As a corporate and real estate attorney, she counsels companies through the full life of a business, from formation and financing through acquisitions and sale, and represents landlords and tenants in commercial leases across office, retail, life sciences, and mixed-use properties, along with purchase and sale of commercial properties around the country.

“Jamie has been central to our Bay Area presence since the day the San Francisco office opened under the Womble name, and she understands both the clients we serve here and the market we are building in,” said Merrick Benn, Chair and CEO of Womble Bond Dickinson (US). “The offices have strong momentum, and Jamie’s judgment, her relationships across San Francisco and the East Bay, and her commitment to our people make her the right person to carry it forward.”

The appointment comes during a period of sustained growth. The San Francisco and Walnut Creek offices have grown to more than 50 attorneys since the 2022 combination, with additions across litigation, intellectual property, real estate and mass torts. In April, the San Francisco office moved to a newly built 20,100-square-foot space at 50 California Street, nearly double its previous footprint. Womble has six offices in California: Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Walnut Creek.

“When Cooper, White & Cooper joined Womble four years ago, the goal was to give a century-old Bay Area firm the geographic scope and platform to compete for bigger work and provide a broader range of services to its longstanding clients, but without losing what made clients loyal to it,” Chou said. “The offices have more than doubled since then, and the work has followed. I am looking forward to leading them through the next chapter.”