About Us
Representing the Pioneers and Disruptors Associated with Market-Changing Innovation in Technology and Life Sciences
The unique history of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati closely traces the birth and evolution of Silicon Valley.
For more than 60 years, Wilson Sonsini has represented technology pioneers associated with virtually every milestone innovation, as well as life sciences trailblazers shaping the future of healthcare.
Today, Wilson Sonsini is synonymous with ushering promising and innovative technology and life sciences companies through their business life cycle.
And as our clients have grown, so has our firm. We now represent some of the largest companies in the world—and thousands of the smallest ones, too.
Our Brand + Our Strategic Position + Clients + Culture
Our Unique Brand
- Since its inception, Wilson Sonsini has maintained an active role in Silicon Valley's technology ecosystem by continuing the work we do with top innovators and entrepreneurs, and the funding sources that support them.
- Our position as the leading provider of legal services to technology and life sciences clients was earned by representing the disruptive, market-creating companies that influenced every milestone marking an evolution in technology—from the semiconductor, computer, and software pioneers of the 1970s and 1980s to today's life sciences, internet, and social media innovators.
Our Strategic Position in the Global Economy
- Wilson Sonsini has acquired valuable expertise through its work with technology-driven clients, so we are strategically well positioned to seize opportunities created by a global economy in which businesses from all industries increasingly rely on technology—whether those businesses depend on innovation to manufacture products or deliver services.
Sophisticated Clients, Stimulating Work, and a Smart, Collaborative Culture
- Every day, everyone at Wilson Sonsini has the opportunity to partner with amazing clients, the opportunity to engage in stimulating and challenging work, and the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from diverse backgrounds who are among the best minds in our industry.
Diversity - Our Commitment and Accomplishments
Wilson Sonsini approaches diversity as a naturally integrated facet of our business culture and incorporates diversity considerations into all talent management practices, including recruiting, hiring, reviews, partner promotions, and retention. Our approach has helped foster a culture in which diversity thrives—a quality that is substantiated by the firm's top rankings and recognition in key diversity benchmarks. For example:
- Wilson Sonsini ranked No. 2 among firms with more than 600 attorneys in Law360’s 2023 Diversity Snapshot. The firm ranked No. 2 for the highest representation of minorities in its partnership among large firms.
- In 2023, for the fourth consecutive year, the firm achieved a top score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies, practices, and benefits pertinent to LGBTQ+ employees, and was designated as a 2023 "Equality 100 Award: Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion" recipient.
- In 2024, Wilson Sonsini achieved Mansfield Plus Certification after participating in the 2023-2024 Mansfield Rule Certification process for large firms, marking the sixth consecutive year that the firm has achieved this distinction. The accomplishment underscores the firm’s steadfast dedication to promoting inclusive and equitable workplaces.
Registration is now open for our 1L Virtual Diversity Summit on November 15, 2024. Registration is open to all first-year law students at an ABA-accredited law school in the JD graduating class of 2027. Click here to learn more.
Additionally, we hosted diverse law students from around the country for the fourth annual Wilson Sonsini 1L Student Diversity Summit in February 2024. This two-day virtual event offered participants the opportunity to: foster connections with our attorneys, clients, alumni, and each other; hear about different career paths; learn more about succeeding in Big Law; and practice the art of networking. Each student was also paired with a mentor to provide support during the remainder of their 1L year.
Pro Bono and Community Service
Year after year, Wilson Sonsini's commitment to pro bono representation and community service activities is demonstrated through local, national, and international efforts aimed at making a meaningful, lasting difference for the underrepresented and underserved. Our latest Community Impact Annual Report highlights recent support provided by the firm's attorneys and professional staff to nonprofit partners and individuals in need in the communities where we live and work.
Pro Bono Representation
- Annually, Wilson Sonsini attorneys and staff provide more than 80,000 hours of pro bono legal work.
- Our attorneys have provided pro bono assistance to approximately 400 nonprofit agencies in fields such as healthcare, education, the arts, and the environment, as well as to numerous individuals.
- Unlimited billable-hour credit is given for time spent on pro bono projects in an effort to encourage attorneys to pursue excellence in the practice of law while at the same time serving the community.
Please see our Pro Bono Overview for more information.
Community Service
- Our Community Service Committee organizes year-round volunteer opportunities for attorneys and professional staff to serve those in need in the community, including food and clothing drives, food-sort projects, fundraising drives to benefit local nonprofits and international disaster relief efforts, back-to-school supply drives, and habitat and home/community facility-restoration projects. In addition, the committee organizes firmwide initiatives such as annual holiday adopt-a-family and gift-drive programs.
- The Wilson Sonsini Foundation, established in 1990, has donated over $24.7 million to more than 900 nonprofit organizations nationwide.
- Wilson Sonsini is annually named among the top corporate philanthropists in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley by both the San Francisco Business Times and the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
Please see our Community Service Overview for more information.
