2022 DIVERSITY DATABASE PREMIUM SPONSOR Orrick

Orrick is a global firm of more than 1,100 attorneys that is fiercely committed to teamwork and innovation. The firm has dozens of offices across the globe, including domestic locations in California, Washington, Massachusetts, D.C., New York, Oregon, West Virginia, and Texas.

It All Began with a Break-Up

In the late 1800s, W.S. Goodfellow and his partners John J. Jarboe and Ralph C. Harrison walked away from their San Francisco firm, Jarboe, Harrison & Goodfellow. Goodfellow then teamed up with Charles Eells to form Goodfellow & Eells. The firm helped organize the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company after San Francisco’s catastrophic earthquake and fire in 1906 and also worked on water rights matters. In 1910, William H. Orrick joined the firm, and over the years, George Herrington and Eric Sutcliffe—who became managing partner in 1947—jumped aboard too. One of the firm’s earliest successes was its involvement in the financing of the Golden Gate Bridge—a matter that set the firm’s stage for big things to come.

Not to Brag, But . . .

Today, Orrick focuses on serving clients in three sectors: technology and innovation, including life sciences; energy & infrastructure; and finance. Its practice is evenly split between transactional and litigation work. Orrick’s Tech Companies group counsels 3,000-plus startups (including companies like Pinterest, Stripe, and SoFi), guiding their clients through a successful IPO or acquisition. The team is on the cutting edge of areas like fintech, blockchain, AI, and autonomous vehicles.

The firm is particularly well known for its energy work, holding the No. 1 spot in Vault’s Clean Tech & Renewable Energy ranking and a spot in the top 20 of Vault’s Energy, Oil, & Gas ranking. The firm represents the leading players in solar, wind, and other alternative energy sources globally. In the last several years, the firm has worked on more than 150 bids for new renewables projects.

Orrick also boasts one of the strongest IP teams in the country, representing many of the most successful global tech brands in headline-making cases. Among the areas the firm’s IP lawyers handle are copyright, inter partes review, IP counseling, patents, trade secrets, trademarks, and even the legal implications of 3D printing. The firm also offers one of the most active cyber, privacy, and data innovation practices. 

In finance, the firm is a market leader in securitization and public finance and has strong teams in restructuring and real estate. Orrick also defends banks and funds in complex litigation.

Innovation Time

Innovation is just another part of life at Orrick. Associates can spend up to 50 billable hours on innovation-related projects to help the firm and clients. Associates have engaged in innovation “sprints,” which incorporate principles of design thinking to challenge assumptions and brainstorm new solutions to approach an issue. Others have created tools to enhance the efficiency of delivering legal services and apps to target client needs, among other projects. It’s unsurprising that the Financial Times has named the firm the Most Innovative Firm in North America multiple times.

COVID-19 Update

In 2021, we anticipate recruiting to be a mix of virtual and in-person connections. We’re 100% flexible and we’ll work with what works for you. Grit, EQ, innovation and teamplay are what we’ve always looked for—and that will be even more important in the new workplace. We want to hear how you’ve navigated the past 18 months and what you learned from it. And, please bring your questions about Orrick, how we’ve adapted, and how we see the future of law and our firm changing.

• Advised on the $1.9B financing of a 690MW solar + 380MW storage project in Nevada, the largest project of its kind in the U.S.
• Secured an unprecedented ITC order for Sonos in a multibillion-dollar fight over wireless speaker patents, resulting in a ban on importing infringing Google products.
• Holistic advice for high-growth tech companies like Athletic Greens, Deel, Instacart, K Health and Sorare.
• Developing the affordable housing market through new financing structures, leading to $7.7B in bonds for 40 developments with 12,000+ units. Assisted with 760 green/sustainable housing bond issues worth $7B.

• #13 Best Companies to Work For, 2022—Fortune
• Top 3 for Innovation, 2016-2021—Financial Times
• Top Firm for Agency & Flexibility and Diversity, 2022—Yale Law Women
• #2 for Associate Satisfaction, 2021—The American Lawyer Midlevel Associates Survey
• Top 5 for Pro Bono in the U.S. & Internationally, 2021—The American Lawyer