Fenwick & West has bolstered its Santa Monica crew by adding Sarah Chambless, a former leader of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips' venture capital and emerging companies practice.

After spending more than a decade at Manatt, Chambless left the Los Angeles-based firm to join Silicon Valley-headquartered Fenwick on Monday as a corporate partner.

“I practice in startups, Fenwick obviously has an exceptional brand in this space, and I just thought it is an opportunity to really grow and expand my practice,” Chambless said.