The international law firm Bryan Cave LLP announced that Marcel Valenta has joined the firm’s Phoenix office as Of Counsel. He will practice within the firm’s Transactions and Corporate Finance and Securities practice groups.

“We are delighted to welcome Marcel to the firm,” said Jay Zweig, managing partner of Bryan Cave’s Phoenix office. “He will be a valuable addition to the firm’s international corporate practice as well as enhance the expertise we offer to clients in our Phoenix office.”

Valenta has more than 10 years of experience advising U.S. and foreign clients on acquisitions, divestures, joint ventures, strategic alliances and other business transactions. He also devotes a significant amount of time to representing emerging growth technology companies in an array of venture capital, private equity, securities and strategic transactions.

Before joining Bryan Cave, Valenta was Senior Corporate Counsel handling mergers and acquisitions and commercial transactions for Hewlett-Packard Company in Palo Alto, California. Prior to his career with HP, Valenta practiced in the Silicon Valley office of an AM Law 100 global law firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions and venture financings.

Valenta has an international background. He studied law at the University of Florence in Italy and received a J.D. from Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany in 1999. After moving to the United States, he received his LL.M. (2000) and J.D. (2003) from Northwestern University School of Law. He is fluent in English and German and conversational in Italian. Valenta is admitted to practice in Arizona, California and Illinois.

Bryan Cave LLP has a diversified international legal practice. The firm represents a wide variety of business, financial, institutional and individual clients, including publicly held multinational corporations, large and mid-sized privately held companies, partnerships and emerging companies. Subsidiary Bryan Cave International Consulting provides trade and customs consultancy. Aided by extensive investments in technology, Bryan Cave’s more than 1,100 lawyers and other professionals in over 30 offices across the United States, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe and Asia efficiently serve client’ needs in the world’s key business and financial markets.