Fenwick possesses a truly distinctive culture and approach to the practice of law. We're a mid-size firm with an international presence—large enough to attract first-rate clients, yet small enough to maintain a collegial work environment. The firm’s smaller scale means all our lawyers have significant responsibility and client contact, which is how we attract diverse, passionate lawyers with a self-starter mentality, intellectual curiosity, and deep client commitment.
Fenwick’s nationally-recognized pro bono program includes civil rights, child advocacy, immigration and political asylum work, as well as impact litigation and death penalty cases. Every year, our lawyers donate over 3 percent of their total billable hours — valued at over $10 million — to pro bono legal services. To encourage pro bono legal services, Fenwick recognizes all approved pro bono work as billable hours for all purposes for non-partner attorneys.
Diversity is also a core component of Fenwick’s culture. We actively promote an open and inclusive work environment and commit substantial resources toward improving our diversity efforts at every level. We actively recruit diverse attorneys – race, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, geographic/cultural background – through numerous channels, including on-campus initiatives, minority bar associations and job fairs. We believe that a diverse workforce helps us serve our clients better and fosters an environment of cooperation, respect, creativity and mutual understanding in which everyone thrives.
The support and professional development of women in law is another core value of the firm’s culture. This commitment is embodied in the firm’s recruiting and retention efforts, mentoring programs, professional development programs and diversity initiatives, and in the resources and benefits made available to women by the firm. Fenwick is proud to have achieved Mansfield Certification Plus from Diversity Lab for reaching at least 30% diverse lawyer representation in a notable number of current leadership roles and committees. Once onboard, Fenwick’s nationally-lauded mentoring programs center on integrating new lawyers into the firm quickly and successfully, as well as providing support and career guidance for mid-level and senior associates, focusing on areas including practice group specialization and client development.
Firmwide Honors
- Honored as a Law360 Powerhouse in recognition of the firm's technology and life sciences work, including significant M&A and investment deals and a succession of major litigation wins (2019)
- Named among America’s Top Trusted Corporate Law Firms by Forbes (2019)
- Named Technology Group of the Year by Law360 for five consecutive years (2018)
- Ranked among the Best Places to Work? in New York City by Crain's. One of only seven law firms honored on Crain’s entire list, Fenwick was ranked sixth overall — and was the top-ranked law firm — in the midsize companies category (2019)
- Honored as one of North America’s most innovative law firms by the Financial Times (2018)
- Ranked among the five best law firms in the U.S. for diversity by The American Lawyer (2019)
- Annually receive 100% score (A+ rating) on The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index for Fenwick’s pro-LGBT policies and working environment (2020)
- Recognized by The American Lawyer as one of the 100 largest law firms in the United States by revenue (2019)
Recognition for Excellence in Corporate, IP, Litigation & Tax Law
- Recognized as having both the best mentoring and the best pro bono program in North America by Euromoney at its Americas Women in Business Law Awards for six straight years (2019). Also recognized as the best North American firm for women in business law for three times in the last four years (2019)
- Recognized as the Technology Law Firm of the Year by Global M&A Network for five consecutive years (2019)
- Honored as a Capital Markets Group of the Year by Law360 (2020)
- Named U.S. Trademark Prosecution Firm of the Year at the Global IP Awards (2020)
- Named one of the top U.S. and California firms for copyright, trademark and patent prosecution and litigation in Managing Intellectual Property (2019)
- Recognized in the highest tier nationally and in California for both trademark prosecution and trademark litigation in World Trademark Review 1000 (2020)
- Recognized for excellence in tax work in Chambers Global (2020) and Chambers USA (2019)
- Named San Francisco & Silicon Valley Firm of the Year by International Tax Review ten times (2019)