Chambers Associate featured Fenwick & West LLP in its 2016 guide, providing an inside view into the firm’s innovative culture and the Fenwick associate experience.
One of the top areas that Fenwick associates complimented was the firm’s free market system. As one associate told Chambers, the system allows them to “build the kind of practice and handle the kind of cases we want to.”
Associates can move seamlessly between practice groups while collaborating and building their own relationships with partners. Furthermore, the system gives lawyers a chance to step up and take on high level work early on in their career.
Chambers Associate also identified Fenwick’s diversity and culture as another key reason Fenwick stands out. Fenwick’s “commitment to diversity is very clear,” one associate told Chambers. Fenwick “does a really good job, especially when it comes to women,” several associates said of Fenwick’s diversity efforts.
Another cited Fenwick’s flexible work policy as key to the firm’s diversity. “It precludes the expectation that lawyers always have to work long hours, constantly be in the office and break their neck to support their team. It has meant Fenwick has brought in and retained more people such as working mothers,” an associate said.
The firm’s commitment to pro bono work was also applauded. Attorneys are automatically credited 100 hours of pro bono work to their annual billable hour target, Chambers reported. “After that they approve as many hours as you would like, as long as you request it.” Associates often travel to low-income areas to provide legal counsel. Once a month, lawyers also gather in the Mountain View office to offer virtual counsel over video conference.
Managing partner Kate Fritz credits much of the firm’s success to its ability to evolve with technology. “Our focus is going to continue to be servicing the core need of tech and life sciences clients. The good thing about our particular focus is that our client base is the reverse of static; the technology and life sciences industries are constantly moving and evolving.