The Top Five Law Firms for Emerging Companies/Venture Capital

In the 2025 Vault prestige rankings, Cooley; Wilson Sonsini; Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLP; Fenwick; and Goodwin top the list of firms with elite Emerging Companies and Venture Capital practices.

Cooley

As indicated by the 2025 Vault Law Annual Associate Survey responses, Cooley is clearly considered the very best firm for Emerging Companies and Venture Capital practices. The firm was established in San Francisco and, in the 1980s, added an office in Palo Alto—the best physical locations to serve venture capitalists and startups as the technology sector materialized. Reflecting its tech savviness, Cooley is also the No. 1 firm in Vault’s Privacy & Data Security rankings, and it holds the No. 5 and No. 9 spots in Vault’s Intellectual Property and Clean Technology/Renewable Energy rankings, respectively. The firm ranks in five other top 15 Vault practice areas. Described as a warm workplace with many firm-sponsored events for its 1,100 attorneys, Cooley offers incentives to stay. Associates have a shot at partnership starting in their 10th year, and special counsel roles are long-term options for attorneys not seeking equity partnership. Attorneys wanting an in-house position with clients also find success. The billable requirement is 1,950 hours, and some of this requirement can be fulfilled with pro bono and other non-client work hours. Since its start in the Bay Area in the 1920s, the firm has expanded to include offices 13 U.S. and 6 international locations, and 8 domestic offices have earned positions in Vault’s top 25 Regional rankings, including the No. 3 position in Vault’s Northern California Regional rankings.

Wilson Sonsini

Wilson Sonsini, headquartered in Palo Alto, is the No. 2 firm in Vault’s Emerging Companies & Venture Capital prestige rankings. The firm holds five other top 20 Vault practices related to business and technology. The 900 attorneys in its 19 offices (14 U.S. locations) experience overall West Coast chill, while practice groups tend to develop unique dynamics in terms of socializing. Attorneys take advantage of a flexible, hybrid work model to meet their 1,950-hour billable requirement, which includes hours credited for firm citizenship activities. The prospects for Wilson Sonsini attorneys are particularly bright. Associates can find in-house opportunities with prestigious life science and tech companies, or they can remain at the firm with a reasonable chance of making equity partner. Those not interested in partnership can move into counsel positions. Some attorneys choose to leave and come back to the firm. To help early career associates choose a direction and acquire the skills needed for success, the firm provides a career coach, a professional development coach, and mentors.

Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLP

Another Silicon Valley firm, Gunderson Dettmer, maintains its No. 3 position in Vault’s Emerging Companies & Venture Capital rankings in 2025 and is one of the top 25 firms in Vault’s General Corporate Practice rankings. A relative newcomer among BigLaw firms (founded in 1995), Gunderson has expanded in a short time to 11 worldwide locations. Mirroring the firm’s clients, Gunderson Dettmer maintains an entrepreneurial spirit. Associates interested in venture capital and helping clients throughout the business lifecycle work in an environment that reflects the casual, nonbureaucratic environment of a startup. The 400 attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer socialize regularly through organic and firm-sponsored events. Associates appreciate the flexible in-office policy and top-notch compensation for meeting the firm’s 1,950-hour billable requirement. They can also look forward with justifiable hope of attaining partnership through a nine-year promotion scheme, which includes a stepping-stone counsel role. Alternatively, attorneys may remain in a counsel role long term. The exit opportunities are good, particularly when the economy is strong.

Fenwick

With 500 attorneys working in one overseas and six U.S. offices, Fenwick sits at No. 4 in Vault’s Emerging Companies & Venture Capital rankings. The firm was established in 1972 in Palo Alto and has been particularly engaged in the life science and technology sectors, representing thousands of startups. In fact, the firm helped establish Apple Computer, one of its early clients. Vault has ranked Fenwick for its Intellectual Property practice for more than a decade, and in 2025, the firm captured the No. 6 and No. 9 spots in Vault’s Pacific Northwest and Northern California rankings, respectively. The firm has had a hand in M&A deals with high-profile clients and in high-profile litigation. Fenwick attorneys with different experiences and various interests can create their own adventure. The free-market assignment system enables Fenwick lawyers to pursue their professional goals and work on cross-office teams. Attorneys also have the option of working toward the standard 1,950-hour billable requirement, the lowest threshold of 1,800 billable hours, or another level in this range.

Goodwin

Another firm with a high Vault Intellectual Property ranking (No. 15), Goodwin is the No. 5 firm for Emerging Companies and Venture Capital practices. The firm holds four other top 10 Vault practice area rankings. It places in Vault’s Boston (No. 2), Northern California, New York, and Washington, DC, rankings for four of its eight U.S. office locations. The firm also has eight international offices. One thousand nine hundred attorneys contribute to the collaborative and supportive work environment at Goodwin. They are required to bill 1,950 hours per year, but they can count 125 of culture and innovative hours and unlimited pro bono hours toward this criterion. The avenues to promotion include both equity and non-equity partnership tiers, as well as counsel positions. The exit options for Goodwin attorneys are inviting and range from moving into a government or nonprofit role, taking an in-house position, to lateraling to a midsize firm.

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The legal work involved in emerging companies and venture capital practices aligns with attorneys interested in startups and the business lifecycle. These attorneys develop unique competencies to help new business owners set up shop, and they work alongside in-house counsel in more mature firms. Because the volume of work and the challenges to venture-backed clients are affected by market conditions, attorneys need to understand the business landscape. To learn more about these and other legal practices, visit Vault’s Practice Area Resource Center. Notably, the Emerging Companies & Venture Capital page in the Resource Center features Q&As from attorneys in this department at top firms in the United States, including four of the top five firms described herein.

Notably, the five most prestigious Vault-ranked firms in the Emerging Companies and Venture Capital category offer attorneys fabulous opportunities to learn and earn. These firms all have a West Coast arm and other offices throughout the country and the world. They each require their associates to bill 1,950 hours for the full compensation package, which is similar among these firms. The firms vary in terms of their priorities, practice emphasis, and size, however, and wise job seekers assess similarities and differences to find the firms that best align with their own values and aspirations.

Profiles of law firms in the Vault Law 100 and on the Best Midsize Firms to Work For list provide information to help law students and established attorneys evaluate their first or next legal experiences. The profiles offer at-a-glance data on firm size, office locations, practice areas, and accolades. Each profile also presents a firm’s positions in Vault’s Practice Area and Regional prestige, Best Firms to Work For, Diversity, and Summer Program rankings. Lawyers at most of the highest ranked firms also take the Annual Associate Survey, and the responses of these 20,000 participating attorneys provide insight into life at the firms in which they work, including the culture, hours, hiring practices, pro bono opportunities, and perks. These descriptions of a firm from insiders are very helpful in ascertaining one’s potential fit in a firm.

Attorneys looking for the best firms in specific regions are encouraged to visit Vault’s Regional Resource Centers. Law students can access the Summer Program Resource Center to learn about ways to get a head start on their career.

Best of luck on your legal job search from all of us at Vault Law!