Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian - The Inside View

In the exciting and ever-evolving world of technology, where better to start than from square one? That’s right, Gunderson is not just a firm that plays in the sandbox… it is the sandbox, with strong ties to tech startups from the beginning of their journey throughout their life-cycles. Those we spoke to gravitated towards this approach: “Through the close client contact and smaller company feel, we’re helping people build up their livelihoods while we’re starting to build up our own.” So, when we say from square one, that’s both the clients and the associates who get in on the ground floor at Gunderson.

“…We’re helping people build up their livelihoods while we’re starting to build up our own.”

Chambers USA has bestowed multiple accolades on this West Coast hotshot, with top honors going to the startups & emerging companies, venture capital, and corporate/M&A practices. Alongside the firm’s prowess, there was another factor that sealed the deal for our interviewees: the people. “I felt like I would be treated like a human being and not just a worker here,” explained one source: “They care about people individually.” With eight offices on US soil and three internationally, our associates were evenly split between corporate and tech associates in New York and Silicon Valley.

Strategy & Future

“We have a pretty laser-focused strategy that doesn’t really change from year to year,” global managing partner Jeffrey Higgins outlines for us: “As a firm, we serve the innovation economy and all the participants in that. Our lane is pretty clear.” Being experts in that space means the firm’s business relies on the market, and despite the last few years being on the quieter side, Higgins is optimistic about the future. “Last year, we started to see a good increase again, and the post-COVID craziness has certainly settled,” he reflects: “So, we’re extremely bullish about 2025 compared to the last couple of years.”

Having a clear focal point for the firm doesn’t mean things are stagnant however, as the firm recently opened a new office in Atlanta and is also looking at various ways to navigate the rise of AI in the legal sector. On that latter point, Higgins divulges: “We’ve been at the forefront of that for years because of the space we’re in. We work with all the legal tech startups because they’re startups like our other clients. We know what’s coming in advance of most of our competitors.”

The Work

Work at Gunderson is largely assigned through centralized staffing which, until recently, was led by a coordinator; now, it is done through an automated system. According to our sources, this can make staffing feel a little random sometimes, but we did hear that eventually juniors break away from this staffing model for a more free-market system. “After you do a few matters, it’s not uncommon for them to come back and ask to work with you again,” explained an interviewee. All in all, associates claimed that around 20 to 30% of their work is gained through relationships they’ve built.

The tech department, also known as the strategic transactions and licensing group, makes its bread and butter in the emerging company venture capital space with a client list filled with startups who “stay with us from pre-seed to Series D, and we stick with them throughout.” The firm does financing for both investor and borrower side work, with sources listing the three main buckets of work as financing, M&A, and commercial work. Within this remit, associates were pleased to report a plethora of responsibilities. As one detailed, “Gunderson is really unique because we get a lot of independence; we get the first pass at everything.” This includes drafting the first set of agreements, handling client communications, drafting NDAs, drafting privacy policies, diligence, and disclosure schedules. Sources told of getting to take the lead on tasks, so “I get so much hands-on experience. They give you the longest leash you would like.”

Technology clients: Samooha, Puck, Pro Shop Holdings. Represented Hallow, a faith-based app, in its $50 million Series C funding bringing its total to $105 million.

“Gunderson is really unique because we get a lot of independence; we get the first pass at everything.”

For the corporate group, work is divided between company-side and investor-side clients. Juniors told us that they spend about 75% of their time on the former, but that can shift depending on the market. The main difference between the two is investor-side consists of one-off deals, whereas you’re in it for the long haul with the company-side clients; “you can be staffed with them and be with them the whole way from corporate action and beyond. You’re with them for their whole lifespan.” Typical junior tasks include due diligence, drafting ancillary documents, keeping checklists, board and stockholder consents, and daily client interaction. Insiders were especially keen to highlight the quick pace of development in the group: “As I’ve shown competency in different areas and shown I can be trusted, I’ve been able to take on responsibilities that I would be capable of taking on.” With the wide spread of exposure on offer, corporate associate heralded the “hands-on experience” they receive at Gunderson.

Corporate clients: Corvus Insurance Holdings, Learno. Represented investors of Index Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, and Greylock Partners in Figma’s proposed $20 billion sale to Adobe.

Career Development

“At Gunderson, I’m not just a face in the crowd,” one source was enthused to report. Insiders were keen to point out the dedication of the firm to provide a prosperous and welcoming environment to train its associates: “I feel like the firm is really invested in me: everyone knows my name here; people are really invested in giving mentorship and advice; there’s tons of training here too.” Upon joining the firm, associates are assigned a buddy mentor close to their age, but we heard informal mentorship is plentiful as well.

“Once you’re a part of the Gunderson family, you stay in it!”

“If you feel like you can level up, they’ll sit you down and run through new things or feedback so you can evolve and grow,” an interviewee explained. Another pointed out how necessary this is – not just for the associate, but for the quality of work: “We wouldn’t be as effective if they didn’t invest in us, so I’m really grateful for that. My knowledge development opportunities are, like, every day.” We also heard that the firm supports associates’ future goals, whether that be making partner or moving somewhere in-house. “They’re supportive of both tracks,” a junior nodded, “once you’re a part of the Gunderson family, you stay in it!”

Pro Bono

Of the time associates dedicate to pro bono, 100 of those hours can be billed as the firm continues to build out its pro bono practice. Although highly encouraged, Gunderson doesn’t put any pressure on its associates to take part if their schedules won’t allow for it. “There’s no stigma involved if you don’t do it,” relayed one source; “I personally like to use pro bono to plug the gaps and boost my hours.” Sources believed the firm works with around ten organizations, meaning that there are always opportunities to get involved – something that plenty of juniors take advantage of. Our interviewees also recognized the inherent value in the work: “It’s been a great learning experience for me as well. We can really take the time to learn new topics and do research.”

Pro bono hours

• For all (US) attorneys: 1,596
• Average per (US) attorney: 5

Culture

Interviewees told us that the main goal of the firm’s culture is to foster a warm environment of like-minded individuals. “Everyone here is friendly with each other, and we all develop relationships naturally here,” one smiled. Although the West Coast offices often socialize with each other, we heard that those on the East Coast tend to be siloed into their specific offices which, culturally, worked to their benefit. “We’re not a gigantic firm here in New York, so you work with a lot of the same people,” explained another, “you can get familiar with everyone quite quickly.”

Gunderson also promotes a very casual vibe where appropriate… law is a stressful profession, but if donning jeans and a T-shirt helps you feel more relaxed, then Gunderson provides that opportunity. An insider elaborated: “Most of our clients are startups, so we dress to match them. It’s very casual here.” The firm also hosts weekly lunches in each office so people can sit and chat with one another to enhance the positive working environment. To summarize, in the words of this associate: “I’ve personally enjoyed everyone I’ve come into contact with.”

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 1,950 target

Insiders found the billable target of 1,950 hours to be quite attainable, with the extra bells and whistles of 200 hours no doubt helping that fact. 100 hours can go to pro bono and another 100 for investment time which involves recruitment and training, all of which can add to the 1,950 target. Once an associate hits the target, the market rate bonus is given in full, but the firm does provide two tiers below: 1,850 being two thirds, and 1,750 being a third of the full bonus. “I thought it was great to have that sliding scale; I hit it this year!” a source enthused.

The salary is market rate as well, with juniors claiming the hours are relatively merciful by BigLaw standards. “I rarely have to work weekends, or get messages out of hours,” a relieved interviewee told us: “People are very respectful of each other’s time.” Most sources averaged three in-office days a week, with Tuesday through Thursday being the preferred combination.

Inclusion

Gunderson received glowing feedback from our interviewees when it came to female representation at the firm: “Our group is very female-heavy, and I know we’re not even the most diverse group at the firm. It doesn’t feel like a male-dominated firm.” This was bolstered by multiple mentions of the women’s affinity group and reports of several teams being “mostly women.”

“They’re not just recruiting a diverse class; they’re supporting them when they’re here.”

One point that sources wanted to bring to our attention was a desire for stronger racial diversity which was reportedly not as balanced as gender representation, with around 40% of associates identifying as racially diverse. That said, the firm is working on its commitment to diverse associates once they’re at the firm. “They’re not just recruiting a diverse class; they’re supporting them when they’re here,” shared one junior.

Get Hired

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus 

OCI applicants interviewed: 253

Interviewees outside OCI: 108

Gunderson Dettmer conducts spring pre-OCI and summer OCI recruitment at a variety of law schools, including those with robust business law societies or entrepreneurship clinics, as well as those that are geographically close to the firm's offices. For 2025, these include Boston College, Boston University, Stanford, UCLA= and USC Gould. Gunderson also makes an appearance at the Bay Area Diversity Career Fair, Boston Lawyers Group Diversity Job Fair, and Lavender Law.

Interviews are conducted by attorneys with varying levels of experience. Hiring sources at the firm explain that candidates “do not need to have prior work experience with startups or in venture capital, but it is best when they’re able to articulate why they think working with startups would be exciting and why they want to speak to us.” Specifically, candidates will probably be quizzed about what they did in the previous summer. Hiring sources explain that interviewers will be looking to see if interviewees “can express themselves clearly in a professional setting and also have a conversational feel while doing so, especially when taking a legal concept and relating it to someone who may not have the background.”  

Top tips for this stage: 

“Demonstrate interest in working with startups and knowing what we do. Our firm is very focused so when someone comes in saying they’re interested in a practice that we don’t have, it doesn’t work.” – hiring sources at the firm  

“They don’t need to know our full history of the firm, but at least have a sense of what we do and why they want to do it too.” – hiring sources at the firm  

Callbacks  

Applicants invited to second-stage interview: 134

Candidates who make it to the callback stage will meet with six attorneys. If the interview is in the morning it is often followed by a lunch with junior associates, while afternoon interviews may finish up with a coffee. At this stage, interviewers are looking to confirm the impression the candidate made at the screening stage and expect them “to have done more research and have thoughtful questions for us about the practice.”  

Top tips for this stage:  

“If you get your interview schedule in advance, look at their firm profile and LinkedIn page. You don’t need anecdotes, but it will help you demonstrate that you’re interested in speaking to those attorneys about our firm, clients, or their practice.” – hiring sources at the firm  

“Expect some of the standard questions: Why Gunderson? Why startups? Why tech? The work is specialized so they want to make sure you’re interested.”– a second-year associate  

Summer program  

Offers: 33

Acceptances: 14

During Gunderson’s summer program, work assignment coordinators in each office keep in touch with summers throughout the program and keep in mind their areas of interest for work. Although there is no formal rotation process, summers are encouraged to try their hand at assignments across the board. Social events differ office to office, but associates informed us of weekly happy hours and the occasional dinner hosted by partners.  

Gunderson tells us most summers return to the firm as first-year associates. “We begin having discussions about practice area interest throughout the summer program,” hiring sources explain, “so we generally know who will be in which practice by the end of the summer.”  

Top tips for this stage:  

“Act as though you’re a first-year associate and already an associate at the firm. We don’t expect the work quality and knowledge to be the same, but we expect you to act in regard to your peers, associates, partners, non-attorneys, and clients as though you’re a professional in the firm.” – hiring sources at the firm. 

And finally….  

Hiring sources say it’s a good idea for students to connect with the firm sooner rather than later, whether through law school outreach events or spring pre-OCI: “It makes a difference if you’re on our radar before you walk into the interview room.”