Law Firms Known for Emerging Companies/Tech Work Forum

[Anonymous User]

If you have any knowledge on this subject, feel free to list the firms that are known for this type of work in the Bay Area (SF more specifically) and maybe also touch on the type of clients they have and services they provide. Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

OP here: I'm well aware of Cooley, WSGR, Goodwin and Fenwick. Let me know if there are some others I may be missing

[ballouttacontrol]

gunderson obvs

[Slytherpuff]

Orrick

[jphiggo]

This list includes firms with emerging companies practice in Northern California, but know that there is emerging companies work in other areas of the country. This list is certainly not exhaustive, but should be a good start for you:

Cooley
Crowell Moring
DLA Piper
Fenwick & West
Gunderson Dettmer
Jones Day
Latham & Watkins
Morrison Foerster
O'Melveny & Myers
Orrick
Perkins Coie
Pillsbury Winthrop
Sidley Austin
Wilson Sonsini

[Old Gregg]

This list includes firms with emerging companies practice in Northern California, but know that there is emerging companies work in other areas of the country. This list is certainly not exhaustive, but should be a good start for you:

Cooley
Crowell Moring (Nope)
DLA Piper (Nope)
Fenwick & West
Gunderson Dettmer
Jones Day (Nope)
Latham & Watkins (Nope)
Morrison Foerster (2nd tier)
O'Melveny & Myers (Nope)
Orrick (2nd tier)
Perkins Coie (2nd tier)
Pillsbury Winthrop (Nope)
Sidley Austin (Nope)
Wilson Sonsini

Fixed this for you.

[jphiggo]

Note, I did not limit my reply to SF. Also, this list, with the exception of Latham, was lifted from the Northern Cal Legal Market Guide's list of emerging companies practice. Not the best source nor a complete list, but at least a starting point.

[johndhi]

you'll also want to look at Goodwin Procter. They have an SF and SV office doing a lot of this work.

[mightymouse23]

This list includes firms with emerging companies practice in Northern California, but know that there is emerging companies work in other areas of the country. This list is certainly not exhaustive, but should be a good start for you:

Cooley
Crowell Moring (Nope)
DLA Piper (Nope)
Fenwick & West
Gunderson Dettmer
Jones Day (Nope)
Latham & Watkins (Nope)
Morrison Foerster (2nd tier)
O'Melveny & Myers (Nope)
Orrick (2nd tier)
Perkins Coie (2nd tier)
Pillsbury Winthrop (Nope)
Sidley Austin (Nope)
Wilson Sonsini

Fixed this for you.

Mofo as 2nd tier? Lol they're by far the top firm on this list for tech work. They're the #1 firm in north cal for this reason.

[Anonymous User]

This list includes firms with emerging companies practice in Northern California, but know that there is emerging companies work in other areas of the country. This list is certainly not exhaustive, but should be a good start for you:

Cooley
Crowell Moring (Nope)
DLA Piper (Nope)
Fenwick & West
Gunderson Dettmer
Jones Day (Nope)
Latham & Watkins (Nope)
Morrison Foerster (2nd tier)
O'Melveny & Myers (Nope)
Orrick (2nd tier)
Perkins Coie (2nd tier)
Pillsbury Winthrop (Nope)
Sidley Austin (Nope)
Wilson Sonsini

Fixed this for you.

Mofo as 2nd tier? Lol they're by far the top firm on this list for tech work. They're the #1 firm in north cal for this reason.

They're a very good firm and certainly one of the best in northern California, but I agree they are not a premier firm for emerging tech work. They don't do a lot of this work. I'm an associate at WSGR and hardly ever work across from them. Cooley, WSGR, Fenwick, Gunderson, and Goodwin Procter dominate this area.

[gaddockteeg]

This list includes firms with emerging companies practice in Northern California, but know that there is emerging companies work in other areas of the country. This list is certainly not exhaustive, but should be a good start for you:

Cooley
Crowell Moring (Nope)
DLA Piper (Nope)
Fenwick & West
Gunderson Dettmer
Jones Day (Nope)
Latham & Watkins (Nope)
Morrison Foerster (2nd tier)
O'Melveny & Myers (Nope)
Orrick (2nd tier)
Perkins Coie (2nd tier)
Pillsbury Winthrop (Nope)
Sidley Austin (Nope)
Wilson Sonsini

Fixed this for you.

Mofo as 2nd tier? Lol they're by far the top firm on this list for tech work. They're the #1 firm in north cal for this reason.

They're a very good firm and certainly one of the best in northern California, but I agree they are not a premier firm for emerging tech work. They don't do a lot of this work. I'm an associate at WSGR and hardly ever work across from them. Cooley, WSGR, Fenwick, Gunderson, and Goodwin Procter dominate this area.

This. WSGR and Cooley are the best in this field. Right behind them are Fenwick and Gunderson. Then Goodwin closing out the pack.

I'm not just saying this from some anecdotal evidence. Go around and ask people who work in this field. I would be surprised if even 10% didn't agree with my statement. It's like saying HYS are better than CCN and then the rest of the t14.

[Anonymous User]

I interviewed at Gunderson and I can't imagine driving into a salt field every day for work.

[Old Gregg]

gaddockteeg, I work in the field and you're wrong. The four firms are basically indistinguishable at this stuff. To the extent you want to draw a distinction, WSGR is good at startup but not as strong anymore because of a shift in focus to more mature corporate work, Cooley is great at VC side representation, and Fenwick and Gunderson are more company side, with Gunderson being the more balanced of the two in terms of representing VCs on deals.

Also, poster above who resurrected an old thread just to brag about MoFo: MoFo is a tier 1 corporate law firm in SF, but not top tier for startup and VC. Not even close.

[Old Gregg]

I interviewed at Gunderson and I can't imagine driving into a salt field every day for work.

Pretty sure it's a superfund site

[Anonymous User]

What about Wilmer Hale in Boston or Northern Cal?

[bananasplit19]

gaddockteeg, I work in the field and you're wrong. The four firms are basically indistinguishable at this stuff. To the extent you want to draw a distinction, WSGR is good at startup but not as strong anymore because of a shift in focus to more mature corporate work, Cooley is great at VC side representation, and Fenwick and Gunderson are more company side, with Gunderson being the more balanced of the two in terms of representing VCs on deals.

Also, poster above who resurrected an old thread just to brag about MoFo: MoFo is a tier 1 corporate law firm in SF, but not top tier for startup and VC. Not even close.

TITCR. At the very least, this was my exact read after visiting all the offices during OCI.

I interviewed at Gunderson and I can't imagine driving into a salt field every day for work.

For what it's worth, Facebook is in those same salt fields, and even with the sulfur smell, they still have better food than Google.

[gaddockteeg]

gaddockteeg, I work in the field and you're wrong. The four firms are basically indistinguishable at this stuff. To the extent you want to draw a distinction, WSGR is good at startup but not as strong anymore because of a shift in focus to more mature corporate work, Cooley is great at VC side representation, and Fenwick and Gunderson are more company side, with Gunderson being the more balanced of the two in terms of representing VCs on deals.

Also, poster above who resurrected an old thread just to brag about MoFo: MoFo is a tier 1 corporate law firm in SF, but not top tier for startup and VC. Not even close.

I stand corrected. I'm not in this field but I grew up in SV and briefly entertained the idea of going back to practice. Most partners I spoke with/parents of my friends referred to Gunderson and Fenwick as the "little brothers" to WSGR and Cooley.

In any case, I suppose a lot can change in some years.

[Old Gregg]

gaddockteeg, I work in the field and you're wrong. The four firms are basically indistinguishable at this stuff. To the extent you want to draw a distinction, WSGR is good at startup but not as strong anymore because of a shift in focus to more mature corporate work, Cooley is great at VC side representation, and Fenwick and Gunderson are more company side, with Gunderson being the more balanced of the two in terms of representing VCs on deals.

Also, poster above who resurrected an old thread just to brag about MoFo: MoFo is a tier 1 corporate law firm in SF, but not top tier for startup and VC. Not even close.

I stand corrected. I'm not in this field but I grew up in SV and briefly entertained the idea of going back to practice. Most partners I spoke with/parents of my friends referred to Gunderson and Fenwick as the "little brothers" to WSGR and Cooley.

In any case, I suppose a lot can change in some years.

I don't think calling them "Little brothers" is inconsistent with saying they're equally good at startup and VC law.

[Anonymous User]

WSGR associate from above.

I agree that Gunderson and Fenwick are in the same category as far as "prestige" as WSGR and Cooley. There are some differences in the type of work and types of clients that these firms work with, and I think the above description is more or less accurate. Fenwick, especially recently, has gotten huge and has represented some of the most sought after unicorns recently (e.g., Uber, Airbnb, Facebook, etc). WSGR has shifted to more public company work, but we still do a good bit of startup work. In particular, our SOMA office, our Seattle office, and our Austin office do a lot of early stage stuff.

To the poster that asked about WilmerHale--yes, they are a good firm for this field. I have been across from them twice. I would say they haven't developed quite the emerging tech practice as, say, Goodwin Procter, but they are not that far behind IMO.