Why Fenwick?

At Fenwick, we recognize the enormous value that an experienced attorney can bring to the firm. If you're considering making a career move, we invite you to consider whether Fenwick is the right fit for you. We believe that the more you get to know Fenwick, the more you will appreciate that we have a truly distinctive culture and approach to the practice of law.

What we believe truly sets Fenwick apart is our ability to develop a sophisticated practice working with cutting-edge clients while creating a friendly and collaborative team environment.

We are committed to the highest level of excellence, yet we value and maintain a very enjoyable work atmosphere. Fenwick has critical mass and cutting-edge legal capabilities, and it's also a place where attorneys and staff enjoy working as a team to achieve the goals of an outstanding base.

We seek out and hire individuals with diverse backgrounds and unique personal experiences. We believe it's that diversity of perspective that makes us highly creative problem solvers and a stronger team.

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Our attorneys work hard and enjoy their work, but don't need to fit into any "personality mold" to succeed. Our firm's perspective mirrors that of the entrepreneurs, engineers, and scientists who populate the rapid-growth companies of the West Coast-we have a passion for excellence and we value results, not conformity. Law firms definitely have personalities, and we very much value ours.

Free Market System for Associates

Nothing is more important to an attorney than a firm's system for assigning work.

For this reason, we created our Free Market System, which provides associates with a significant opportunity to choose their work assignments and the partners with whom they will work. In fact, they are actively encouraged to take that initiative.

While many large firms have a central work assignment system in which associates are simply told what to do, Fenwick's Free Market System encourages associates to take ownership of their careers, develop the necessary contacts within the firm to find work that interests them, and maintain positive work relationships. It also motivates partners and senior associates to be invested in junior and mid-level associates' professional development and to earn their trust and respect. Partners who don't learn that lesson may have trouble staffing their projects.

While our system is very flexible, the key is that we actively encourage associates to shape their own work experiences. While you can simply choose to have assignments handed to you, you will get more out of the Fenwick experience if you are actively involved in shaping your own career.

Flexible Career Options

FLEX by Fenwick is a new and flexible way for experienced attorneys to practice law beyond the traditional in-house and law firm career paths. With FLEX you have the opportunity to work in-house with a wide range of companies, from exciting new start-ups to the world's leading technology companies, all the while having access to the collective knowledge and professional camaraderie of top-notch colleagues at a national firm.

For more information, click here

Compensation & Benefits

Fenwick is committed to paying a competitive salary commensurate with major law firms in our market. The firm also provides a broad range of benefits that promote financial security, work/life balance and a healthy lifestyle.

For a detailed list of our compensation and benefits click here.

Professional Development

At Fenwick, we understand the importance of continuous professional development and believe that the firm is responsible for providing meaningful and unique training opportunities. To that end, we have committed substantial resources to our multifaceted professional development program.

Through our innovative Fenwick University program, mid- and senior-level associates learn how to manage their career, with programs focused on developing and building skills such as leadership, networking, presentations and client pitches, and personal business plans.

Professional Development: Confidential Advisor Program

Partners and senior associates at Fenwick are relied upon to support and contribute to the development of first- and second-year associates. By taking time to listen and understand the experiences, aspirations, and concerns of associates, advisors can provide guidance, support and knowledge, to enhance a first- and second-year associate's professional development.

The program also serves helps build proactive relationships between junior and senior attorneys within the firm, which ultimately benefits all attorneys, the firm and clients alike.

Mentoring

Fenwick's Professional Development Mentoring Program was developed to complement the Confidential Advisor Program for the benefit of associates who are in at least their third year of practice.

For mid-level associates, the Professional Development Mentoring Program focuses on increasing and broadening work assignments and opportunities, access to a variety of partners, and expanding one's internal networks. For more senior associates, the program offers opportunities to explore career options and to discuss professional development opportunities, including business development, with partners.

Like the Confidential Advisory program, each associate is paired with a partner within the associate's own practice group. Once in place, these relationships may remain unchanged for several years. However, either party may request a change at any time and requests will be handled promptly, with sensitivity and without judgment.

Training

Fenwick University for Mid-level Associates

As associates begin the transition from junior- to mid-level associate, it is expected that they are well on their way to developing strong, practical legal skills. At this point they need to start to consider which direction to take, both substantively in the law, as well as in their practice development.

To assist them in this transition, the Fenwick University Mid-level Program examines the realities of large law firm practice, including law firm economics, management and the firm's expectations of associates. Participants will learn the importance of developing both internal and external networks, as well as various approaches to building and strengthening them. They will develop personal business plans, receive presentation skills coaching and, finally, present their plans to the group.

Fenwick University for Senior-level Associates

This program provides participants with an opportunity to stop and consider where they are in their career development and decide where they want to go, both substantively in the law, as well as in their client and practice development.

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The program will include some business development content and will focus on what clients expect from their lawyers. Faculty, both from within and outside the firm, will discuss leadership, as well as the development of delegation skills and the management and supervision of teams and handling deals and litigation matters. The program will examine the concept of branding, as well as the brands of the firm, the practice groups and the individual. The program will help participants to consider the partnership question: What if they want to be a partner? What career options are available to them if they don’t want to be a partner? Participants will receive coaching on presentation skills, and, finally, the group will develop personal business plans and work on the development of skills relevant to making client pitches.

Women’s Leadership Initiative

In 2006 we established our Women's Leadership Initiative, recognizing that women lawyers face unique challenges that can prevent them from realizing their full professional potential. It is important to us that our women attorneys enjoy the benefits that flow from a supportive network of colleagues with whom they can confide, share their experiences, tell their stories and listen to one another.

Our programs are designed to provide regular opportunities to discuss issues that are relevant to women in the firm and legal community, to foster learning and career development, and to provide a supportive network for talented attorneys as they find their paths to leadership.

Some programs are purely social, designed to bring colleagues together from different offices and practice areas and to give summer associates a feel for the esprit de corps that permeates our culture. We've hosted events ranging from tea at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, to indoor rock-climbing and yoga events.

We also offer programs that focus on professional development and mentoring, including one-on-one communications skills coaching, and networking and business development training.

Finally, we host events that include our women clients, which have been very well received and have helped to strengthen these professional relationships.

Annual Review

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Practice Groups

Fenwick enjoys abundant awards and recognition showcasing our nationally and internationally ranked practices in complex financial and commercial transactions, intellectual property protection and licensing, “bet-the-company” litigation, and tax planning and tax controversies.

For more information about our core practice areas click here

Industry Specialization

We represent companies that have changed, are changing, and will change, the face of technology, life sciences and cleantech. Many of our clients are well-known companies redefining e-commerce, communications, entertainment, and social media. We also represent a growing number of life sciences companies spanning the spectrum of therapies from small molecules and protein- and nucleic acid-based therapeutics, to medical devices and drug delivery systems and innovative personalized medicine diagnostics. In recent years, our client list also includes a number of cleantech companies at the forefront of alternative energy.

For more information about the industries we serve, click here.

Diversity and Inclusion

From our founding in 1972, diversity and inclusion has been a core component of our culture, and we commit significant resources towards improving our efforts at the firm across all levels.

The firm actively recruits diverse attorneys—race, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, geographic/cultural background—through numerous channels, including on-campus initiatives and minority bar associations and job fairs. We believe that respect and acknowledgment of others' backgrounds fosters cooperation, creativity and mutual understanding and helps us serve our clients better.

Fenwick has implemented a number of diversity and inclusion initiatives, including:

Diversity and Inclusion Committee: To refine existing diversity programs as well as plan and implement innovative new diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Women's Leadership Initiative: Focused on building the leadership, management and business development skills of our women attorneys.
Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Initiative: Partners commit to fulfilling a variety of diversity-promoting action items throughout the year.
Bar Association Activities: To promote the advancement of diversity and inclusion initiatives in the broader legal community, Fenwick attorneys chair key diversity and inclusion committees.

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Affinity Groups: Informal attorney groups centered on common interests and backgrounds to create a more comfortable and inclusive environment.
Attorney Recruiting Initiative: A commitment to maintain strong representation of diverse attorneys in Fenwick's summer program as well as participation in minority job fairs and interfacing with diverse law student groups.

The firm recently received high honors on The American Lawyer's 2010 Diversity Scorecard, and for the second consecutive year held the top-seven national ranking as one of the most diverse U.S. law firms.

Click here to view our Diversity and Inclusion Newsletter.

Pro Bono

At Fenwick, we are proud of our commitment to the community and to our culture of making a difference in the lives of individuals and organizations in the communities where we live and work. We recognize that providing legal services is not only an essential part of our professional responsibility, but also an excellent opportunity for our attorneys to gain valuable practical experience, learn new areas of the law and contribute to the community.

The pro bono work we provide to our clients results in changes to businesses, futures and lives. During 2010, our firm donated over 10,000 hours, valued at more than $5 million in legal fees.

Our pro bono program allows our attorneys to serve others and to grow as professionals and individuals. They provide services ranging from corporate business counseling, intellectual property and tax services to women's rights, voter protection and assistance to lower income individuals, people, and organizations in our communities. Our litigation associates also have the chance to brief and argue cases in the Ninth Circuit–an invaluable experience to have at an early stage in their careers.

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Working with a variety of local and national organizations, Fenwick's pro bono efforts include fellowships, child advocacy, civil rights, impact litigation, Appellate Project, Street Law, AIDS Project, death penalty, corporate, intellectual property, tax and political asylum/immigration.

Click here to view our Pro Bono Annual Report.

Current Openings—Attorneys and Legal Professionals

All employees and applicants are evaluated on the basis of their qualification without regard to race, religion, color, marital status, national origin, age, sex, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, gender, genetic characteristics or any other classification protected by applicable local, state or federal employment laws. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all.

Corporate/Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Associate (Silicon Valley Office):

Fenwick & West LLP, a leading Northern California law firm with a cutting edge, internationally recognized Corporate practice seeks a Corporate/Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Associate. The ideal candidate will have at least one year experience in executive compensation and/or mergers & acquisitions. California bar membership, superior academic credentials, excellent oral, written and interpersonal skills a must.

To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, law school transcript and deal sheet to: recruit@fenwick.com

Intellectual Property-Technology Transactions Associate (Silicon Valley Office):

We are seeking a technology transactions associate with three years direct experience for our growing technology transactions practice. The firm handles complex, innovative technology transactions for some of the most prominent technology, entertainment and life sciences companies in the United States. Our technology transactions group also works closely with our corporate group, which is consistently ranked as one of the top IPO and M&A practices in the United States.

The ideal candidate will have a deep technical background, experience in licensing and experience in M&A. Life sciences, electrical engineering, or computer science background would be useful, but not essential. CA bar membership, superior academic credentials, excellent oral, written and interpersonal skills required.

To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume and law school transcript to; recruit@fenwick.com

Patent Prosecution Associate (Seattle Office):

Fenwick & West's Intellectual Property practice seeks a patent prosecution associate for its Seattle office. The ideal candidate will have one to three years experience in the high tech space. Presently, we are seeking candidates with degrees in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or Computer Science. Superior academic credentials, excellent oral, written and interpersonal skills a must.