High Tech companies think big, fast and global. These clients want their law firms thinking the same way. Serving High Tech clients is as much a cultural match as it is an ability to meet client needs. High Tech company expectations go beyond the norm as well—most don’t want their law firms working for competitors—even when there is no ethical conflict.
It would seem meeting high tech client legal needs may be slightly less difficult than matching up to high tech culture. The high tech world is too competitive to let key law firms help someone else.
In looking at the 16 law firms able to develop the most Clientopia relationships, we note the presence of Fish & Richardson (number 21 in the overall Clientopia 24) and Finnegan, the two largest IP-only law firms—underscoring the priority High Tech companies place on IP.
All 16 have proven they can not only keep up with their constantly-changing high-tech clients, but stay ahead. The law firms with the strongest relationships—who are both core and recommended first in the High Tech industry—are named by clients in the just-released BTI Power Rankings 2016:
Covington & Burling
Finnegan
Fish & Richardson
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Irell & Manella
Jackson Lewis
Keker & Van Nest
Kirkland & Ellis
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo
Morgan Lewis
Nutter McClennen & Fish
Polsinelli
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan
Stibbe
WilmerHale
Womble Carlyle