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Overview

Introduction

A leader in venture capital work and top ranked for intellectual property, Wilson Sonsini is a go-to firm for tech industry clients. Lawyers at the firm have an entrepreneurial mindset and strike the right balance between hard work and affability. With its history deeply rooted in the evolution of Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini values innovation and improvement and is the leading provider of legal services to technology and life sciences clients.

Firm Stats


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Total No. Attorneys (2023)

1K - 1.5K

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No. of Partners Named (2023)

18

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Featured Rankings

Vault Law 100
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No. of 1st Year Associates Hired (2023)

102


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No. of Summer Associates (2023)

118 total (118 2Ls; 0 1Ls)


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Base Salary

1st year: $215,000
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Vault Verdict

Wilson Sonsini takes care of its associates, whether through quality work experience, professional development, or some unique perks. Hiring focuses more on work experience and entrepreneurialism rather than the usual law school metrics of top law schools and top grades. This contributes to the firm’s relaxed atmosphere where people are pleasant and courteous, and where personal lives and interests are respected. Partners are kind, concerned about associates and their workloads, and accessible for professional and career guidance. Even with established training and mentoring systems in place, partners and senior attorneys make themselves available to answer questions and provide feedback. They also help laterals transition into the firm and help them get work assignments. Assignme...

About the Firm

With 950 attorneys across 19 offices around the world, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is a global player with very deep tech roots. The firm has become a leader in technology and life sciences financings and M&A, tech licensing transactions, intellectual property, litigation, and regulatory and compliance matters.

Running Circles Around Everyone

Wilson Sonsini began as a simple three-man shop in Palo Alto under the name McCloskey, Wilson & Mosher. It was founded by John Wilson, Pete McCloskey, and Roger Mosher; McCloskey departed shortly thereafter in order to take a seat in Congress. Larry Sonsini became a name partner in 1973 after working at the firm for seven years. John Goodrich and Mario Rosati came on board in the early 1970s, and after Mosher’s departu...

Associate Reviews

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  • “Wilson's atmosphere is far more relaxed than I would have expected for BigLaw. We have weekly lunches with our practice groups, and people genuinely seem to enjoy each other's company. I really appreciate how many of my colleagues have a sense of humor and keep things light.”
  • “Attorneys in my group are conscientious and respectful of one another, value others' input, and are responsive to and receptive of questions. Most of the partners and senior attorneys in my group are older and have families, and as a result, there is not much socializing that happens outside of the office with them. That said, the group's formal mentorship program provides an avenue for consistent interaction between more junior attorneys and partners in the group.”
  • “WSGR has cultivated an amazing culture. Everyone I work with is friendly and courteous. Mentorship is a point of emphasis, and interactions between the lawyers (at all levels) and the staff is always a pleasure. We socialize often, both at firm-sponsored events and after hours.”
  • “The day-to-day atmosphere is collegial and pleasant. Attorneys treat one another and staff with equal respect and dignity, and care about one another's lives outside the office—they ask about families, hobbies, vacations, etc. The firm sponsors team-building activities periodically that are very fun (the last one was glass blowing as a group).”

Why Work Here


What You May Not Know About Us

Wilson Sonsini fosters an entrepreneurial and collaborative environment across its attorney ranks. We understand the importance of mentorship and strive to promote career growth and help our attorneys build leadership and relationship skills with clients and colleagues. We want to inspire them to think about the best strategies to enhance their practices.

Wilson Sonsini's culture encourages independence and responsibility from an early stage. We motivate our attorneys at each step of the way, helping them to contribute at a sophisticated level across all work areas and increase accountability and ownership levels.

In addition to having a robust M&A and capital markets practice, we represent and advise clients on a broad array of other legal matters, including litigation, intellectual property, employment law, taxation, employee benefits, and more. Some details: 

Getting Hired Here

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  • “We are looking for professional candidates who are entrepreneurial—willing to take some risk and initiative to grow their career and serve our clients. We are looking for fit with our culture. Clerkship is a plus. We do not have certain feeder schools.”
  • “The hiring process is pretty selective. You have to really know that this is the sort of work you want to be doing, and that you want to be working with the clients that the firm serves. We're fully engrained in the venture-backed company ecosystem; you need to know that's the right place for you, and communicate that, in order to be hired here.”
  • “I don't think we're a firm that is too focused on typical law school prestige metrics. I think the strongest candidates are often those with prior work experience, and a demonstrated interest in areas of the technology industry.”
  • “This firm, more than any other firm I interviewed with, valued my prior work experience. The firm really values prior work experience, and advanced degrees outside of a JD. Other firms say that they do, but in my experience, and in the experience of other colleagues, that has not been the case. Wilson Sonsini values diversity of education and work experience, and puts their money where their mouth is.”

Perks & Benefits


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