Mountain View, CA (June 23, 2016) – Fenwick & West was honored by Euromoney Legal Media Group as the best national firm for women in business law in North America at the 2016 Americas Women in Business Law Awards ceremony in New York.
The firm was also recognized as being the Best Firm for Pro Bono work in North America for the third year in a row, as well as having the best mentoring program in North America. The awards recognize the most effective firmwide initiatives as well as the best individual women lawyers in the Americas.
Fenwick partner Cynthia Hess also received the Women in Business Law Award for Best in Technology, bringing Fenwick's total recognitions to four. Only one other firm received as many honors this year.
"I'm grateful for this recognition," said Hess, the co-chair of Fenwick’s startup and venture capital group. "It's a privilege to be part of a firm that provides outstanding support to women lawyers both inside and outside the firm."
Fenwick was also well represented on the shortlist for the awards, with the firm up for recognition in a total of nine categories. Partner Jennifer Fuller was shortlisted for among the best lawyers in tax and tax dispute resolution and partner Karen Webb was honored on the shortlist for best in trademark law. Partner Antonia Sequeira was shortlisted as a rising star in intellectual property.
The firm’s commitment to pro bono service has been consistently recognized. Fenwick’s pro bono program includes civil rights, child advocacy and political asylum work, as well as impact litigation. In 2015 alone, Fenwick attorneys and staff completed over 17,000 pro bono hours valued at over $9.5 million in legal fees.
Fenwick's mentoring programs – which include efforts to support new lawyer integration, provide associates with practical career guidance and offer meaningful assistance with practice and client development – are a key component of the firm's support for women in the law.
The full list of winners is available through the Managing Intellectual Property website.
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 venture capital, private equity and strategic 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, please visit fenwick.com.