Fenwick vs WSGR? Forum

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Fenwick vs WSGR?

Fenwick (Mountain View)
25
50%
Wilson Sonsini (Palo Alto)
25
50%
 
Total votes: 50

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Fenwick vs WSGR?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 02, 2021 8:45 am

I'm at Berkeley and want to stay in Bay Area. I've narrowed it down to these two - both for their corporate groups. I liked people from both firms. What would you choose and why?

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Re: Fenwick vs WSGR?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:34 am

Kind of surprised WSGR is losing... aren't they ranked higher than Fenwick and have better reputation in SV?

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Re: Fenwick vs WSGR?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 02, 2021 2:28 pm

I personally would pick Fenwick. Seems like better culture.

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Re: Fenwick vs WSGR?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 02, 2021 3:23 pm

I'm also at Berkeley and I picked Cooley over WSGR because I heard some bad things about Wilson's culture during OCI (super competitive, hierarchical, etc). I don't have info on Fenwick, but it seems to have a great rep in the Bay Area

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Re: Fenwick vs WSGR?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 02, 2021 3:55 pm

SV associate not at either of the mentioned firms but with friends who have worked at both. General sense is consistent with other posters here that Fenwick culture is better. But I have also heard the WSGR does better on comp. My understanding is that Fenwick bonuses are done on a case by case basis and so can often be below “market” and also that it is possible to be held back a class year (and accordingly not get a raise) if hours are low. If you already have offers in hand, I’d ask about that since my info on comp is admittedly secondhand and a couple of years old.

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Anonymous User
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Re: Fenwick vs WSGR?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 02, 2021 4:35 pm

It seems like the commenters lean towards Fenwick but the vote is now pretty close. Can those who voted for WSGR explain? (Or is it driven by current associates...?)

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Re: Fenwick vs WSGR?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 02, 2021 4:52 pm

Anon because current associate at WSGR.

What kind of corporate work do you want to do, OP?

attorney589753

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Re: Fenwick vs WSGR?

Post by attorney589753 » Tue Feb 02, 2021 5:07 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 3:55 pm
SV associate not at either of the mentioned firms but with friends who have worked at both. General sense is consistent with other posters here that Fenwick culture is better. But I have also heard the WSGR does better on comp. My understanding is that Fenwick bonuses are done on a case by case basis and so can often be below “market” and also that it is possible to be held back a class year (and accordingly not get a raise) if hours are low. If you already have offers in hand, I’d ask about that since my info on comp is admittedly secondhand and a couple of years old.
This view on Fenwick bonuses is a bit outdated so would encourage you to touch base with people you interviewed with.

I think there is a view that culture-wise WSGR is a bit of an outlier in terms of Bay Area firms. Overall would expect type of corporate work to be pretty similar between the two firms but junior associate experiences to be quite different (staffing models, etc.).

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Re: Fenwick vs WSGR?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 02, 2021 5:23 pm

2L who made a similar decision. Some factors I considered other than "vibe" during interviews:
- Size: WSGR is much bigger than Fenwick
- Type of work: my understanding is that Fenwick does much more company-side work than VC-side work & WSGR does more public company than Fenwick
- Work assignment: Fenwick has a free market system

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Anonymous User
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Re: Fenwick vs WSGR?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 02, 2021 5:44 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 5:23 pm
2L who made a similar decision. Some factors I considered other than "vibe" during interviews:
- Size: WSGR is much bigger than Fenwick
- Type of work: my understanding is that Fenwick does much more company-side work than VC-side work & WSGR does more public company than Fenwick
- Work assignment: Fenwick has a free market system
What did you end up deciding? Also what are the drawbacks of free market system? It sounds good on paper but not sure how it actually plays out

Anonymous User
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Re: Fenwick vs WSGR?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 02, 2021 6:19 pm

One reason I picked WSGR is that I really like the launch program. This allows you to "try" out a few groups within corporate during your first two years. The corporate groups differ mostly on the type of clients (early-state focus, pub co focus, late-stage, etc.), but a few of the groups overlap. Also, culture really depends on the partner within the group that you are working for, so during launch, you can decide who you would like to work for, as well as decide what types of clients you like working with.

The cultural remarks about WSGR seem outdated. Granted I have only spent a few months at WSGR, associates seem to like working for the firm. Many people I spoke with said the launch program has really helped the culture.

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Re: Fenwick vs WSGR?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 02, 2021 6:43 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 6:19 pm
One reason I picked WSGR is that I really like the launch program. This allows you to "try" out a few groups within corporate during your first two years. The corporate groups differ mostly on the type of clients (early-state focus, pub co focus, late-stage, etc.), but a few of the groups overlap. Also, culture really depends on the partner within the group that you are working for, so during launch, you can decide who you would like to work for, as well as decide what types of clients you like working with.

The cultural remarks about WSGR seem outdated. Granted I have only spent a few months at WSGR, associates seem to like working for the firm. Many people I spoke with said the launch program has really helped the culture.
On the first point, you can do that too at Fenwick w/free market system.

OP - surely you must have clicked more with one firm. Go with your gut. They are both fantastic firms and won't really differ substantially.

Anonymous User
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Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Fenwick vs WSGR?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 02, 2021 9:37 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 5:44 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 5:23 pm
2L who made a similar decision. Some factors I considered other than "vibe" during interviews:
- Size: WSGR is much bigger than Fenwick
- Type of work: my understanding is that Fenwick does much more company-side work than VC-side work & WSGR does more public company than Fenwick
- Work assignment: Fenwick has a free market system
What did you end up deciding? Also what are the drawbacks of free market system? It sounds good on paper but not sure how it actually plays out
I personally picked WSGR for a few reasons: Launch, more VC work, hit it off better with people at WSGR than Fenwick, personally prefer larger size, etc.

Anonymous User
Posts: 432497
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Fenwick vs WSGR?

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Feb 03, 2021 3:07 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 9:37 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 5:44 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 5:23 pm
2L who made a similar decision. Some factors I considered other than "vibe" during interviews:
- Size: WSGR is much bigger than Fenwick
- Type of work: my understanding is that Fenwick does much more company-side work than VC-side work & WSGR does more public company than Fenwick
- Work assignment: Fenwick has a free market system
What did you end up deciding? Also what are the drawbacks of free market system? It sounds good on paper but not sure how it actually plays out
I personally picked WSGR for a few reasons: Launch, more VC work, hit it off better with people at WSGR than Fenwick, personally prefer larger size, etc.
What did you like about the larger size?

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