Overview
Introduction
IP is the name of the game at Fish & Richardson, so be prepared to show off your technical or science background during interviews. Founded in 1878 and home to over 360 attorneys, the firm’s associates are busy, but they are treated to a great culture, top-notch IP work, and lots of flexibility. Fish & Richardson hires candidates with the expectation they will climb the ranks, leaving a clear path to partnership for anyone willing to put in the work.
Firm Stats
Total No. Attorneys (2023)
No. of Partners Named (2023)
Featured Rankings
No. of 1st Year Associates Hired (2023)
No. of Summer Associates (2023)
Base Salary
Vault Verdict
For associates interested in patent litigation and prosecution, Fish & Richardson should be at the top of the list. Candidates come from a wide array of law schools, but all must have a technical or scientific background and have proven themselves academically. Office settings are professional yet laid back and friendly, and coworkers enjoy socializing at regular events. This conviviality extends to associates and partners, with partners treating associates as valued colleagues. Formal training opportunities are plentiful and high quality, which is good because partners and supervisors often don’t take the time to provide guidance or feedback. Some lateral hires feel they would like more attention during the onboarding process. Work assignments entail some lower-level doc ...
About the Firm
An influential player in the development of American intellectual property law, Fish & Richardson has evolved with the inventions of its clients. From the days of the Industrial Revolution through the current technology revolution, the firm has remained a leader in patent law while adding other targeted practice areas as the years have rolled by.
Fish First
Founded in Boston in 1878, Fish & Richardson’s early days were marked by its representation of giants of American innovation. The firm spent some of its first years advising the likes of Alexander Graham Bell and, later, Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers. Fish & Richardson played integral roles in the acquisition and defense of patents for such seminal concepts as the telephone, the radio, the autom...
2024 Vault Rankings
Associate Reviews
- “I love the culture at Fish. It is a very friendly environment. There are monthly happy hours for legal staff, and numerous firmwide and office-wide lunches every month. It is not uncommon for the associates and principals to find excuses to spontaneously grab lunch, dinner, or drinks together. Socializing is not limited to legal staff, either. The staff and the legal staff are very friendly. There are frequently fun initiatives and contests.”
- “Very laid back and humane. Most folks come from an engineering background, and are not the most social, but it varies by office.”
- “The culture is very social, and has weekly get-togethers for the legal staff. There are also quarterly summits for different groups within the firm (practice groups, women, minorities, etc.). We also have more events planned in the summer months, where legal staff get together. The atmosphere is collegial and professional, and there are many friendships between lawyers and staff.”
Diversity at Fish & Richardson P.C.
Getting Hired Here
- “Fish requires a strong scientific background, and excellent credentials. Hiring needs vary by year, and can vary by scientific background area. Increasingly, the firm appears to be recruiting 1Ls. The firm hires from a wide diversity of law schools, however. Regional ties are often more important than law school U.S. News rankings.”
- “We are looking for someone with a technical background of some kind who has a proven academic track record. It's harder to find someone like that who is also someone who comes across well socially. But if you have all three, you are likely to be hired.”
- “Fish is great in that it hires from all types of backgrounds and legal educations, not favoring elite or Ivy schools. I really appreciate this, and I think it provides an egalitarian work environment, where no one attorney outranks another just by the school they attended.”
Perks & Benefits
