Why Fenwick?
Fenwick & West offers law school graduates a truly unique experience. Maybe it's because we're not your typical large firm. We're a mid-size, West Coast firm with a national presence—large enough to attract the biggest, first-rate clients—such as Cisco Systems, Apple Computer and Google—yet small enough to maintain a collegial work environment.
We respect the individual and value team players. 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.
And speaking of teams, our firm culture emphasizes cooperation among team members. At Fenwick, you succeed by making the rest of your team better. Each team member is expected to perform excellent work—not solely for his or her own greater glory—but for the greater success of the firm and our clients.
A Great Place to Work
At Fenwick, we are committed to the highest level of excellence, yet we value and maintain a fun and enjoyable work environment. We also ask the questions, "What do you like to do? What can you do? How will you help your clients achieve their goals? How can we help you achieve your goals?"
Our attorneys don't fit into any "personality mold" to succeed. Rather, 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.
Fenwick attorneys also have diverse and important interests outside of work. We encourage all of our people to maintain a healthy balance between their working lives and their personal lives, and we provide avenues for them to do so. This includes reduced-hours options for associates and partners seeking increased flexibility.
We are proud that Fenwick is frequently ranked as one of the best and most diverse places to work.
We are also proud of our certification as a Santa Clara County "Green Business." And in July 2009, Fenwick & West in Seattle became the first law firm in the United States to be awarded LEED-CI Platinum Designation by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
We Make Smart People Smarter
Just like our clients, we are always evolving. While law firms have traditionally been late adopters of technology, we believe in leveraging technology to allow us to be more efficient, responsive and creative. Whether its litigation or M&A support, helping our clients manage shared information, or avoiding "reinventing the wheel," we routinely use technology to solve problems in creative, innovative and efficient ways.
Internally, our investment in technology helps our attorneys maintain good work-life balance and flexibility in their schedules, and provides a service platform that allows all Fenwick offices to seamlessly work together.
Fenwick is frequently recognized for our innovative use of technology, including our leading industry approach to e-discovery. Our team of technologists and attorneys (known as the Electronic Information Management Practice) has developed a proprietary e-discovery process and tool set that is extremely efficient. Fenwick's e-discovery process enables us to tackle the biggest cases and provide quality results with dramatic savings of both time and expense.
Free Market System
Nothing is more important to a new 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. The right to decline work is also part of our Free Market System.
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.
Professional Development
For you to become a successful attorney, your education can't end when you leave law school. We believe that Fenwick is responsible for providing meaningful training opportunities and we commit substantial resources to our multifaceted professional development program.
Through our innovative Fenwick University program, associates learn how to build a career with programs focused on developing soft skills like networking (internally and externally), making presentations and client pitches, and drafting personal business plans. Associates learn to build on and reinforce these skills as they progress through the junior, mid and senior levels of the Fenwick University curriculum. These are invaluable skills regardless of the direction your career ultimately takes.
We also have an amazing array of opportunities to develop substantive legal skills and knowledge. We provide our junior attorneys with intensive skill building "boot camp" courses within individual practice groups to cover foundational knowledge and skills. We have additional stand-alone formal training programs for associates and many practice group-specific presentations that touch on practical teachings, as well as on breaking developments and hot issues in the technology and life sciences legal practices. It is not at all unusual for there to be three different lunch-time CLE programs in a single week. As such, our attorneys can easily meet their CLE requirements through our internal programs and save on lunch expenses!
Strong Mentoring
Because we understand that working in a law firm is a big change for most people, you will be assigned a confidential advisor on your first day to help guide you through your early stages as a Fenwick attorney. Your advisor, typically a mid-level associate, will help to guide you through your first year at the firm. In your second year, you will be assigned a new confidential advisor so that you may learn and benefit from the experience of another mid-level associate. As a third-year associate you will enter the Professional Development Mentoring Program, working closely with an assigned Fenwick partner or senior associate who will help you through an array of professional development choices best suited for your long-term career goals.
The firm's Professional Development Mentoring Program has also been integrated into some of Fenwick's training initiatives. For example, as part of Fenwick University training programs for mid-level associates, mentoring partners and senior associates lend their perspective and expertise to associates as they prepare to present their business plans. For the senior associate training programs, mentoring partners will sit in on their mentees' mock client pitches to provide them with feedback to fine tune their sales presentation.
On Campus Interviews
Fenwick & West recruits law students from a number of leading law schools. Check out our Campus Interview Schedule and come see us when we're in your area.
2011 On Campus Interview Schedule
| Law School/Job Fair | Date | Law School/Job Fair | Date | |
| BASF | 6-Aug | Harvard | 15-Aug | |
| Hastings | 8-Aug | NYU (Tax only) | 22-Aug | |
| Hastings (1/2 day in PM-Tax) | 11-Aug | Stanford | 23-Aug | |
| UCLA | 11-Aug | U of Washington | 24-Aug | |
| Northwestern | 11-Aug | Stanford | 24-Aug | |
| Boalt | 11-Aug | Stanford (1/2 day in PM-Tax) | 24-Aug | |
| Boalt (TAX) | 11-Aug | Chicago | 24-Aug | |
| Cook County | 12-Aug | Santa Clara | 29-Aug | |
| Boalt | 12-Aug | Seattle | 6-Sep | |
| Davis | 15-Aug | Lavender law job fair | 8-Sep |
Download a copy of our Interview and Transcript Guidlines.
Summer Program
As a summer associate, you will gain valuable work experience and develop an understanding of the professional and personal development opportunities that Fenwick & West can provide.
We treat out summer associates like first year associates, challenging you with interesting and varied work assignments. We also provide training and development programs throughout the year that will help you develop as an attorney.
Finally, our mentoring program pairs you with a "buddy," or mentor attorney, who will provide guidance and help you navigate your summer program.
Summer Program
As a summer associate, you will gain valuable work experience and develop an understanding of the professional and personal development opportunities that Fenwick & West can provide.
We treat out summer associates like first year associates, challenging you with interesting and varied work assignments. We also provide training and development programs throughout the year that will help you develop as an attorney.
Finally, our mentoring program pairs you with a "buddy," or mentor attorney, who will provide guidance and help you navigate your summer program.
Work Assignments
Work assignments are made through workflow coordinators designated in each of our practice areas. Workflow coordinators are responsible for soliciting projects from attorneys in their practice areas and making them available for assignment via intranet posting.
Assignments are posted to the Summer Associate Work Assignment System. From this site, you can review available projects and select assignments They system will automatically maintain a project listing for you and update any changes that you enter. The workflow coordinators may also be in contact with you either by voicemail or email regarding special assignments in their practice areas. Projects are available on a first come, first serve basis- so don't be shy about soliciting attorneys for work in the areas of law that you're interested in pursuing.
At the beginning of the summer, the work assignment process works reasonably well. However, as the weeks go by, and you settle in to our collegial environment, you will find that individual attorneys will contact you directly or that you will start to solicit work directly from an individual attorney.
Diversity Fellowship Program
Fenwick & West offers a split summer opportunity for 2L students. The Fellow(s) spend the first seven weeks of the summer working as a Fenwick Summer Associate and the following three weeks at a Bay Area public interest organization which focuses on diversity issues or serving diverse populations. Fellow(s) continue to attend firm summer events during the fellowship.
At the end of the summer, the Public Interest Fellow will be eligible for a first-year associate offer. Offers will be contingent upon work evaluations and performance feedback from the public interest organization.
Candidates must have first accepted an offer from the firm to be a summer associate before they are eligible to apply for the Public Interest Fellowship. Candidates must submit an essay not longer than two pages detailing their reasons for wanting to pursue the Public Interest Fellowship and how it will contribute to their professional life. Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of their essay, resume, academic achievement and interview.
Social Events
No summer would be complete without a few special events designed to highlight the local area's unique attractions and enhance your overall summer experience with Fenwick. Past summer events have included sailing excursions on the San Francisco Bay, white water rafting, Napa Valley wine tasting, cooking classes, baseball games and numerous informal dinner and barbeques.
Training
At Fenwick & West, a commitment to the training and development of our associates is part of our culture—and summer associates are no exception. We provide structured and hands-on training, not only while you're actively working, but throughout the academic year. Some of the summer associate training programs we've offered include:
- Practice Group Presentations and Panels
- Deposition Clinic
- Negotiations Workshop
- History of the Firm
- Writing Workshop
- Presentations Workshop
- Ongoing practice group training
Buddies
"Buddies," or mentors, help the summer associates to develop a strong sense of the firm and provide information, direction and guidance over the course of the summer.
Buddies can secure appropriate work assignments, experiences and feedback for you. They are your coach, counselor, advocate and referee. They can help monitor work flow, answer any questions you may have about the firm or office procedures and help solve problems and concerns that may arise. The goal of your "Buddy" is to ensure that your time with the firm is both enjoyable and fulfilling.
Testimonials
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NALP Forms
Click here for NALP Forms.
Apply for Our Summer Program
For more information or to apply to our Summer Program, please contact Gabriela Del Aguila at 650.335.7802 or gdelaguila@fenwick.com
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.
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.
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.
Contact Us
Attorney Recruiting Contacts:
Julieta Stubrin
Manager of Attorney Recruiting & Diversity
Fenwick & West LLP
Silicon Valley Center
801 California Street
Mountain View, CA 94041
Gabriela Del Aguila
Senior Attorney Recruiting Coordinator
Fenwick & West LLP
Silicon Valley Center
801 California Street
Mountain View, CA 94041
phone: 650.335.4949
e-mail: recruit@fenwick.com