Fenwick & West

Fenwick & West is a United States law firm founded in 1972 known for advising technology and life sciences companies, venture capital firms, and public companies. The firm has played roles in landmark financings, intellectual property litigation, mergers and acquisitions, and regulatory matters, representing clients ranging from startups in Silicon Valley to multinational corporations listed on the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. Its work intersects with major institutions and events in technology, biotechnology, and finance.

History

The firm was established amid the growth of Silicon Valley and the expansion of the venture capital industry, interacting with actors such as Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, Benchmark and Accel Partners. During the 1980s and 1990s Fenwick & West advised companies involved in major developments around Personal Computer companies, Unix vendors, and early Internet enterprises, connecting to clients and transactions tied to entities like Apple Inc., Sun Microsystems, Netscape Communications Corporation, eBay, Yahoo!, and Google. In the 2000s the firm expanded practice capabilities that engaged with regulatory regimes overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission, litigation involving the Federal Circuit, and transactions structured under the Internal Revenue Code. The firm's timeline intersects with public offerings on NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange, mergers influenced by antitrust review from the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, and patent disputes heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Practice areas and clients

Fenwick & West focuses on transactional and litigation work for clients in technology and life sciences sectors, handling matters in corporate governance for companies interacting with investors like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan, and SVB Financial Group. Its intellectual property practice litigates patents before district courts and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and prosecutes patents at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The firm represents biotechnology firms that collaborate with institutions such as Genentech, Amgen, Gilead Sciences, Biogen, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and software and hardware companies connected to Microsoft, Intel, Cisco Systems, Oracle Corporation, and VMware. In venture financings and mergers, Fenwick & West has worked with startups backed by SoftBank Group, Tiger Global Management, Insight Partners, and public-company acquirers including Oracle, IBM, Meta Platforms, and Adobe Inc..

Notable cases and transactions

The firm's work includes representation in high-profile initial public offerings and acquisitions involving technology companies that listed on NASDAQ and negotiated mergers reviewed by the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission. Fenwick & West lawyers have been counsel in patent litigation before the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, inter partes review proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The firm's deal practice has handled sale transactions and venture financings that involved parties such as PayPal, LinkedIn, Instagram, WhatsApp, Dropbox, and Stripe. Litigation matters have at times implicated standards bodies and consortiums like IEEE, IETF, and W3C, and intersected with regulatory frameworks administered by agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and Food and Drug Administration.

Offices and organization

Headquartered in San Francisco, the firm maintains offices in technology and financial centers that include locations associated with Silicon Valley, Seattle, New York City, Austin, Texas, and the Boston innovation corridor. Its organizational structure is a partnership model with specialized groups for corporate law, intellectual property law, litigation, tax law, and employment law tailored to clients such as startups backed by Andreessen Horowitz andY Combinator alumni, growth-stage companies funded by Benchmark and Founders Fund, and publicly traded companies listed on NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange.

Recognition and rankings

Fenwick & West has been recognized in rankings published by organizations such as Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, U.S. News & World Report, and Vault.com for its technology and life sciences practices. The firm and individual attorneys have received honors from bar associations and industry groups including the American Bar Association, the Federal Circuit Bar Association, and California State Bar awards, and attorneys have been listed in directories such as Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers. Industry commentators and trade publications like Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, The New York Times, and Forbes have covered the firm's role in major financings, litigations, and corporate transactions.

Category:Law firms based in San Francisco