Fenwick Named Technology Group of the Year for Fourth Consecutive Year
Mountain View, CA (January 20, 2017)– Fenwick & West is pleased to announce that Law360 has recognized the firm as Technology Group of the Year for the fourth consecutive year.
Fenwick’s intense focus on industry-reshaping corporate transactions, intellectual property strategy and precedent-setting litigation for innovative companies earned the firm the honor again this year, Law360 reported.
Law360 noted the firm’s lead role in history’s three biggest gaming acquisitions and a string of deals for Cisco Systems. One of the world’s most active law firms for issuer-side technology IPOs, Fenwick was lauded for its work on the $100 million IPO for China-based Gridsum Holding on the NASDAQ market.
The publication also pointed to Fenwick’s successful litigation outcome for the directors of Imperva, clarifying the liability of board members associated with venture capital firms in shareholder suits. The firm also secured five significant IP litigation victories before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in 2016, including wins for online real estate company Zillow, Under Armour and other leading tech giants.
Alan Smith, chair of Fenwick’s corporate practice, told Law360 that the firm’s experience working with companies as they grow from startups to global leaders has allowed it to develop a deep bench to address a broad variety of client needs.
“Throughout our history we’ve had a disciplined focus on technology and life sciences that really allows us to draw the kind of top talent that clients in the space are looking for,” Smith said.
He added that the first-hand knowledge Fenwick lawyers glean from assisting industry giants such as Facebook and Uber Technologies gives its teams a better sense of what to expect when advising clients earlier in their development, which is crucial in rapidly developing sectors like technology and life sciences.
Doug Cogen, co-chair of Fenwick’s mergers & acquisitions practice, told Law360 that the scope of Fenwick’s work in the sector is central to its appeal. Tech companies are interested in a firm that can serve as a resource throughout various phases of their growth.
Cogen also emphasized that Fenwick’s strength in this area goes beyond simply providing a broad range of services. He told Law360 that the firm emphasizes cross-practice cooperation and working as a team in a way that sets Fenwick apart.
Looking ahead, Law360 reported that Fenwick will focus on growing its New York office, which opened in 2016 to better serve existing clients in the area and address growing client demand among the region’s technology, life sciences and investment communities. The firm will also continue to develop its payment systems practice, which launched in 2016.
Fenwick consistently ranks among the top U.S. law firms for technology and life sciences companies across a diverse array of practices from corporate to litigation to intellectual property to tax. The firm currently represents more than 600 venture capital and private equity-backed private companies, including many of the venture backed companies valued at more than $1 billion, such as Dropbox, Airbnb, GitHub and Unity. It is also ranked as one of the top law firms for technology merger and acquisitions deals worldwide, in recent years handling 500 M&A transactions valued in excess of $500 billion. For a list of awards, please visit the firm’s Awards and Honors page.
To view Fenwick’s full Technology Group of the Year profile, visit the Law360 website (subscription required).
About Fenwick & West
Fenwick & West LLP provides comprehensive legal services to ground-breaking technology and life sciences companies – at every stage of their lifecycle – and the investors that partner with them. We craft innovative, cost-effective and practical solutions on issues ranging from venture capital, public offerings, joint ventures, M&A and strategic relationships, to intellectual property, litigation and dispute resolution, taxation, antitrust, and employment and labor law. For more than four decades, Fenwick has helped some of the world's most recognized companies become and remain market leaders. For more information, visit fenwick.com.