Three years ago at the age of 30, Michael Kagnoff became the youngest person in the history of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP to make partner. An accomplished deal maker, he regularly counsels executives and entrepreneurs many years his senior.

For Kagnoff, going to law school at Berkeley after earning an undergraduate business degree was a means to rising to the top faster. “I wanted a chance to see the business world at a high level,” he says. “Being a lawyer means getting a seat at the table — being a member of the team at decision-making time. And that’s fun.”

Kagnoff’s clients include such emerging companies as Websense, Correlent Communications, Sorrento Networks, Cryogen, Innercool Therapies, Nuvasive and Quorex Pharmaceuticals. He has represented venture capital firms such as Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers and Enterprise Partners. He assisted in the Seagate Technologies spin-off of optical networking technology into the startup Iolon.

His history of significant deals is impressive. It includes a $165 million sale of publicly traded Corsair Communications to Lightbridge in 2001, a $70 million IPO for Websense in 2000 and the $500 million acquisition of Ipivot by Intel in 1999. Kagnoff has chaired Brobeck’s investment committee since 2001.

It’s the combination of his two backgrounds that makes him so highly regarded. “I try to provide clients with strong legal advice, tempered by business judgment,” he says. “That’s why this job is perfect for me. It combines the two things I’m really interested in and enjoy.”

Kagnoff is a member of the San Diego Telecom Council, speaks regularly at UCSD Connect seminars and is a board member for Leo Brian Foundation, which contributes to cancer-related causes. He also serves on the San Diego Opera High-Tech and Biotech Steering Committee. “I went to school on the East Coast where I saw the benefits of the arts to a community,” says this La Jolla native. “That’s why I like being part of a major artistic organization.”

Yet, even with all the accolades and deals he is known for, Kagnoff’s greatest deal started seven months ago when he and his wife welcomed son Jake Kagnoff. “It’s been very cool,” he says of fatherhood. “It’s fun to go home after a long day and get a smile from him. Makes it all worth it.”

— Patricia Morris Buckley