“Cool” is the name of the game at Wilson Sonsini, with entrepreneurial clients and a West-Coast culture giving juniors all the incentive to hop onboard.
Wilson Sonsini Lateral Profile 2024
A big player in the tech and life sciences space, Wilson Sonsini has racked up a healthy reputation for its industry practices – apt given the firm has spent more than 60 years in the tech pioneers mecca – Silicon Valley. Wilson Sonsini’s storied history has seen the firm help birth names like Apple, Twitter, and Tesla to name a few, and the firm continues to guide key players in the market through some of the biggest challenges facing their industries. To take one example, Wilson is currently defending Google in a class action lawsuit surrounding the company’s training of its generative AI models and its implications for the rights of all US copyright holders and the privacy rights of all US internet users – hefty stuff indeed.
View the firm’s Chambers USA rankings
Read the firm’s Inside View feature on junior associate life
Why did you join your firm? Associates say…
“During my summer, people in different practice areas knew each other well on professional and social levels which made this firm feel like a community and not just a workplace. Additionally, a high percentage of partner-elects started out as summer associates, showing the strength of the culture. Finally, the interview truly felt like they had looked at my resume and knew what my background was.”
“You can feel WSGR's California/Silicon Valley roots at the firm, the firm is collegial, laid-back, relaxed and people are themselves. The entrepreneurial and founder spirit of our clients is embodied in the firm's ethos – attorneys are encouraged to be creative, to think of new ideas and ways of doing things, and our clients expect this mindset from the firm.”
“The firm prioritized self-motivated individuals and offered great room for professional growth.”
Strategic Recruitment Focuses 2024
Patent prosecution careers
The view from the firm: With the largest Life Sciences-focused patent practice in the world, Wilson Sonsini’s unmatched expertise services a diverse client base from start-ups to established industry leaders on global patent portfolio development and management. Associates learn from the best through early, hands-on experience and comprehensive training and development opportunities. Associates draft and prosecute patent applications, prepare patent opinion letters, and provide IP counseling to clients as well as supervise junior attorneys and patent agents.
Our patent prosecution looks for associates with 1-4 years of patent prosecution law firm experience, patent bar membership, and a background in one of the following fields: cell or molecular biology, immunology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, medicinal chemistry, cancer biology, pharmacology, organic chemistry, biophysics, or digital health focused disciplines.
Career Development & the Path to Partnership
|
20 |
2.1 : 1 |
52% |
||
|
partners made in 2023 |
associate : partner gearing |
of associates intend to make partner |
||
|
71% |
45% |
75% |
||
| felt partnership was achievable for attorneys with children | felt partnership was achievable at the firm | agreed partners are nurturing future leaders |
||
The view from the firm: We offer practical training from first-year associates to senior partners and take a blended approach to training, incorporating academies, online self-directed courses, live webcasts, interactive workshops, booster training sessions, just-in-time microlearning videos, and interactive eLearning modules.
New associates are welcomed to the firm with entry-level training classes which provide context for each department's practice, highlights sensitive issues, and provide practical instruction on matters for which newer associates typically are responsible. Additionally, we have formal structures for mentoring and feedback such as our First Year Guides, Lateral Links, WS Connects, and one-on-one career coaching. Senior associates who are interested in becoming partners receive mentors to talk about the partnership process. This is combined with content at the seventh-year academy addressing the partnership process.
Hours & Compensation
|
1,950 |
10.8 |
46.1 |
|
billable hours |
average number of vacation days associates took in one year |
average number of hours associates worked in one week |
|
59% |
68% |
83% |
| agreed they had a good work-life balance |
said the benefits package makes the workload worthwhile |
found the bonus allocation fair and transparent |
Salaries
1st year: $225,000
2nd year: $235,000
3rd year: $260,000
4th year: $310,000
5th year: $365,000
6th year: $390,000
7th year: $420,000
8th year: $435,000
The view from the firm: We offer competitive compensation, market-relevant benefits, and an environment that encourages attorneys to do the best work of their careers. Year-End merit bonuses recognize the individual contributions and performance of attorneys, and also reflect the firm's financial performance.
Associate benefits include: healthcare; income protection; pregnancy disability leave/bonding pay; survivor benefits; financial programs; paid time-off; work life & convenience services; social activities; bar exam; bar membership dues and continuing education; relocation expenses for qualified candidates; employee referral bonus; and part-time policy.
Wellness-related benefits include: flexible work arrangements; monthly wellness reimbursement program; emotional support program; and separate employee assistance program offering free, confidential support to employees and family members.
The firm provides new parents with up to 26 weeks of time off following the birth or adoption of a child and additional support such as 24x7 online access to newborn care consultants; part-time options; one-on-one career coaching for working parents, backup care options for children from 6 months to 12 years of age; and milk shipping for nursing mothers traveling on business.
Unlimited billable-hour credit is given for time spent on pro bono projects to encourage attorneys to pursue excellence in the practice of law while at the same time serving the community.
Is Wilson Sonsini the right firm for you?
|
82% |
94% |
85% |
|
were happy in their current role |
agreed the work is interesting |
felt comfortable being themselves at work |
The view from the firm: At Wilson Sonsini, we constantly strive to add experienced and skilled attorneys to our practice. Whether you're an experienced attorney or a judicial clerk, practicing at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is a challenging and rewarding experience. Our broad spectrum of practices and our entrepreneurial spirit afford our attorneys exceptional opportunities for professional growth and exploration.
We look for candidates who embrace the entrepreneurial spirit both inside and outside the firm, as well as for those whose practical work experience will benefit the unique needs of our technology and growth clients. We hire lateral attorneys to complement practices that already exist at the firm, and also strive to add new expertise to enhance the spectrum of services we are able to offer our clients.
Here's what survey respondents had to say about the firm's culture...
“People at WSGR are truly respectful of each other as human beings. We throw each other baby showers and tease each other about expensive shoes – we work a lot because that is the job but that is a lot easier to do with respectful colleagues.”
“Wilson has a unique culture where you can determine what success looks like for you. As a first-generation college and law student, I did not know what working a white-collar job would be like and what type of professional I wanted to be. Wilson gives associates the space to define what their jobs and careers look like to them.”
“Our culture is informal, friendly, business-oriented, and the people here really are fascinated by tech and its role in the world.”
Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing
|
70% |
28.2% |
37% |
||
|
reported diverse staffing on teams/cases/matters |
of partners are women |
of associates identify as ethnically diverse |
||
The view from the firm: In February 2024, we welcomed over 50 1L students from law schools around the nation as our Diversity Summit Scholars for our annual 1L Student Diversity Summit. Scholars had the opportunity to meet our attorneys, hear from our clients and friends on the bench about their career paths, and learn more about the BigLaw recruiting processes and ways to succeed as a lawyer.
During Women’s History Month 2023, our Women of Wilson (WoW) Affinity Group hosted weekly firmwide events highlighting talented and courageous women past and present, both at the firm and externally. A panel presentation featured four of the firm’s women board members, who shared their insights on how having women and other diverse representatives in leadership positively impacts the firm. Other events included a discussion with Donna Petkanics, former managing partner of the firm and recently retired after an illustrious thirty-six year career; an inspirational conversation with Shabana Basij-Rasikh, Co-Founder and President of the School of Leadership, Afghanistan, Afghanistan’s first and only all-girls’ boarding school; a panel presentation with the WoW committee members; and a virtual presentation by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
In addition to these opportunities and partnerships, we also held numerous events highlighting heritage months and other cultural celebrations, including Black History Month, AAPI Heritage Month, Juneteenth, Pride Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month. During our annual Juneteenth Day of Service and Celebration, each of our U.S. offices partnered with local organizations on projects including a book and school supply drive for youth; a wellness items drive; a Juneteenth Pop-Up Museum featuring exhibits from the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum & Learning Center; care kit and snack bag projects; a professional clothing drive for men and women; and a Black Business Empowerment Clinic.
Our Diversity Summit and Women’s Leadership Summit are held on alternating years. In 2023, we held our third Diversity Summit, bringing together over 250 diverse attorneys and senior administrative staff to build and deepen connections among diverse colleagues across the firm. The event focused on equipping participants to enhance skills and grow careers; empowering affinity group leaders and energizing affinity group members; and further growing an inclusive culture firmwide.
Pro Bono
|
73.4 |
92% |
|
average pro bono |
agreed the firm is committed to pro bono |
Pro bono highlights: Asylum Work (In partnership with various non-profits); Utah Civil Rights Litigation (Co-Counsel ACLU of Utah and the National Center for Lesbian Rights); Louisiana Civil rights Litigation (Co-Counsel ACLU of Louisiana); Palace of Justice (Co-Counsel Center for Justice and Accountability); Anti-trafficking Work (In partnership with various non-profits).
Sustainability & CSR
The view from the firm: The firm’s top sustainability initiatives are as follows:
- To utilize the global greenhouse gas inventory we completed in 2023 to identify areas for reduction.
- Continuing to minimize our office footprint through our office hoteling program, which allows us to increase space efficiency and thus resource usage.
- Implemented and now operate under a sustainable purchasing policy.
- Purchasing 50 percent of global electrical in certified renewable energy.
- Tracking and reporting greenhouse gas emissions via the CDP and EcoVadis platforms.
- Minimizing energy usage by monitoring occupancy, and limiting operating hours based on when people are in the office.
- Re-commissioning space as possible to maximize performance and increased efficiency. We also identify equipment not performing as designed, modifying programming, and making repairs to improve efficiencies.
- Reducing use by downsizing equipment as possible at the end of life and retrofitting lighting to more efficient fixtures.
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