Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP

Law Firms

GENERAL INFO

Headquarters: San Francisco, CA
8 offices
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NEWS AND UPDATES

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ABOUT THIS COMPANY:

Ed. note: On January 1, 2011, Kilpatrick Stockton and Townsend and Townsend and Crew merged to create Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP. The profile below refers to the pre-merger Townsend and Townsend and Crew.

IP master

Established in 1860, Townsend and Townsend and Crew is one of the leading intellectual property boutiques - if a firm with eight offices and more than 200 attorneys can still call itself a boutique. Firm offices can be found in each of the West Coast's major technology centers, including Seattle, Silicon Valley, San Diego and its home base of San Francisco. In 2007, the firm established an East Coast presence when it opened shop in Washington, D.C.; the office focuses on patent prosecution and litigation.

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REVIEWS

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SALARIES

Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP salary & compensation reviews include all signing and year-end bonuses, vacation time and other perks and reimbursements that make up total compensation.

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SURVEY SAYS

One associate in Townsend's Silicon Valley office tells us, "I've been very satisfied with the work here. I get to work directly with many partners, and receive a lot of projects that, according to my friends at other leading firms, are typically assigned at those other firms to more senior associates." Indeed, as another attorney observes, the "smaller firm atmosphere [allows] for attention to individualized professional development." "Individualized" may be the key word, as some associates contend that the firm offers "minimal formal training," but "great hands-on mentoring." "It's sink or swim, baby," declares one lawyer.

DISCUSSIONS

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Getting Hired

Tips from the inside

What's important and what's not

Townsend and Townsend may be smaller and less well known than some of its competition, but don't expect an easy interview process, associates say. A Palo Alto lawyer says the firm favors "engineering and science as undergrad majors." A colleague in the same office elaborates: "Townsend hires primarily from top-tier and leading regional law schools. The firm focuses almost exclusively on law students and lateral attorneys with technical backgrounds." In addition to technical or scientific expertise, the IP firm places a substantial emphasis on personality. "We look for good litigators and team players, not just brilliant attorneys," advises an associate in the San Francisco office. Another lawyer suggests, "Legal skills are secondary to 'fire in the eyes.'"

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