--- title: "Best Law Firms for Startups (2026)" description: "Law firms for venture-backed startups: Cooley, Gunderson Dettmer, Wilson Sonsini, Fenwick, Orrick, and Goodwin, and how they bill." url: https://getaob.com/startup-law-firms --- # Best startup law firms (2026): who represents venture-backed companies Startup law firms represent the company: formation, founder stock, financings, commercial contracts, and, later, an IPO or a sale. They do not recruit your lawyers. That is a different list, [legal recruiting firms](https://getaob.com/legal-recruiters). Chambers ranks a US startups and emerging companies band that has included Cooley, Fenwick, Goodwin, Orrick, and Wilson Sonsini at the top, with Gunderson Dettmer and DLA Piper in the next band. Hourly rates are not on these websites. Ask for a staffing plan and a fee estimate for the round you are actually raising. By [Garrett Wolfe](https://garrettawolfe.com), founder of OneGTM (Clay Artisan Solutions Partner) and former GTM engineer at Unify. Updated November 4, 2026. Key takeaways - Cooley says it represents 7,000+ private companies and handles 2,100+ venture financings a year, and cites PitchBook rankings for company-side venture work. - Gunderson Dettmer focuses on venture-backed technology and life sciences companies and the funds that invest in them. - Wilson Sonsini, Fenwick, Orrick, and Goodwin are the other firms founders run into on Bay Area and national venture deals. - Latham & Watkins, WilmerHale, Mintz, and Lowenstein Sandler are full-service firms with emerging-company and technology practices. DLA Piper is in the same Chambers market. - None of these firms publish a startup rate card. Billing is hourly unless you negotiate a fixed fee for a defined piece of work. ## Firms built around venture-backed companies These are the names on a large share of US venture financings. Fit still depends on the partner, the industry, and whether you are the company or the investor on the deal. ### [Cooley](https://www.cooley.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=startup-law-firms) Law firm with a large emerging-companies practice in technology and life sciences. Cooley says it represents 7,000+ private companies, including a large share of US unicorns, and handles 2,100+ venture financings a year. It also points founders to Cooley GO for formation resources. **Best for:** Venture-backed companies from formation through later rounds **Fees:** Hourly. Rates are not published. Ask what, if anything, is offered as a fixed fee. ### [Gunderson Dettmer](https://www.gunder.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=startup-law-firms) Law firm focused on venture-backed and public technology and life sciences companies, and on the venture funds that back them. The practice is corporate work for that market: financings, equity plans, and related deals. **Best for:** Venture-backed technology and life sciences companies **Fees:** Hourly. Rates are not published. ### [Wilson Sonsini](https://www.wsgr.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=startup-law-firms) Law firm with a long technology and life sciences practice, including emerging companies, venture financings, and intellectual property. It is a frequent firm on West Coast startup deals. **Best for:** Technology and life sciences companies, including later-stage work **Fees:** Hourly. Rates are not published. ### [Fenwick](https://www.fenwick.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=startup-law-firms) Law firm for technology and life sciences companies, covering emerging companies, financings, intellectual property, and public-company work. **Best for:** Tech and life sciences companies that want one firm through growth **Fees:** Hourly. Rates are not published. ### [Orrick](https://www.orrick.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=startup-law-firms) Global law firm with an emerging-companies and venture practice for technology, energy, and life sciences clients, plus the funds that invest in them. Public startup resources sit under Orrick's founder-facing tools. **Best for:** Startups and funds with work in more than one country **Fees:** Hourly. Rates are not published. Ask whether any defined piece of work is offered as a fixed fee. ### [Goodwin](https://www.goodwinlaw.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=startup-law-firms) Law firm with a large technology and life sciences practice, including emerging companies and venture financings. Founders Workbench is its public resource for early-stage companies. **Best for:** Tech and life sciences companies raising institutional rounds **Fees:** Hourly. Rates are not published. ## Full-service firms with a real emerging-companies practice These firms are broader than a venture boutique. They are a fit when the company also needs litigation, regulatory, or a large financing team, and you still want lawyers who close startup deals. ### [Latham & Watkins](https://www.lw.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=startup-law-firms) Global law firm with an emerging-companies and venture practice alongside public-company, financing, and litigation work. Often on larger seed and growth rounds. **Best for:** Larger venture rounds and companies that already need a full-service firm **Fees:** Hourly. Rates are not published. ### [WilmerHale](https://www.wilmerhale.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=startup-law-firms) Law firm with emerging-company, technology, and life sciences practices, plus litigation and regulatory work. **Best for:** Technology companies that also need regulatory or litigation depth **Fees:** Hourly. Rates are not published. ### [DLA Piper](https://www.dlapiper.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=startup-law-firms) Global law firm with an emerging-companies practice. Chambers has ranked it in the US startups and emerging companies category alongside the venture specialists. **Best for:** Cross-border startups that want one global firm **Fees:** Hourly. Rates are not published. ### [Mintz](https://www.mintz.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=startup-law-firms) Law firm practicing corporate, intellectual property, and litigation, with technology and life sciences work that includes emerging companies. **Best for:** Life sciences and technology companies that want IP and corporate together **Fees:** Hourly. Rates are not published. ### [Lowenstein Sandler](https://www.lowenstein.com/?utm_source=onegtm&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=startup-law-firms) Law firm with a technology and emerging-companies practice, alongside investment management and other corporate work. **Best for:** East Coast technology companies raising venture rounds **Fees:** Hourly. Rates are not published. Rates are not published on these firms' sites as of November 2026. Rankings mentioned in the intro are Chambers' startups and emerging companies category, which you should read on chambers.com before you treat a band as advice. This is an opinionated list, not a paid ranking, and nobody paid to be on it. Nothing here is legal advice. Choosing tools for an outbound build? Send me your current stack and what you want it to do. I'll tell you what I'd keep and what I'd change. Get a stack review ## Startup law firms compared | Firm | Best for | Fee | | --- | --- | --- | | Cooley | Venture-backed companies from formation through later rounds | Hourly, rate not published | | Gunderson Dettmer | Venture-backed technology and life sciences companies | Hourly, rate not published | | Wilson Sonsini | Technology and life sciences companies, including later-stage work | Hourly, rate not published | | Fenwick | Tech and life sciences companies that want one firm through growth | Hourly, rate not published | | Orrick | Startups and funds with work in more than one country | Hourly, rate not published | | Goodwin | Tech and life sciences companies raising institutional rounds | Hourly, rate not published | | Latham & Watkins | Larger venture rounds and companies that already need a full-service firm | Hourly, rate not published | | WilmerHale | Technology companies that also need regulatory or litigation depth | Hourly, rate not published | | DLA Piper | Cross-border startups that want one global firm | Hourly, rate not published | | Mintz | Life sciences and technology companies that want IP and corporate together | Hourly, rate not published | | Lowenstein Sandler | East Coast technology companies raising venture rounds | Hourly, rate not published | Billing as described on each firm's public site in November 2026. "Hourly, rate not published" means the firm does not list a dollar rate for startup work. ## How to choose counsel for a startup The firm brand matters less than the partner who will answer the email. Ask who staffs a financing, what a formation costs at your stage, and whether any of the bill is deferred until a round closes. Get that in writing. This page is not legal advice. - Ask for the partner, the associate, and who does the first draft. - Ask for a fee estimate for formation, a seed round, or the round you are in now. - Ask whether they represent the investor on other deals, and how conflicts are handled. - Ask what they will not do. Some venture firms do not run litigation. - Hiring a general counsel later is a recruiting project, not a reason to switch firms in the middle of a close. ## Related lists Recruiting lawyers onto your team is on [legal recruiting firms](https://getaob.com/legal-recruiters). The deck and model investors read next to the term sheet are on [pitch deck and fundraising consultants](https://getaob.com/pitch-deck-consultants). The finance function around a raise is on [fractional CFO and startup accounting firms](https://getaob.com/fractional-cfo-firms). Risk and compliance hiring inside a financial firm is on [finance and fintech recruiters](https://getaob.com/finance-recruiters). ## Counsel closes the round. The pipeline is a different vendor OneGTM is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. We build outbound, signal, and CRM systems. If the company is about to hire sellers after a financing, the system they need is on the [outbound agency](https://getaob.com/outbound-agency) page. - The round is closed and there is still no scored account list. - The CRM cannot show which source produced a meeting. Book a call ## Startup law firm FAQ ### What law firms do venture-backed startups use? Cooley, Gunderson Dettmer, Wilson Sonsini, Fenwick, Orrick, and Goodwin are the firms most often on US venture financings. Latham & Watkins, WilmerHale, DLA Piper, Mintz, and Lowenstein Sandler also have emerging-company practices. Chambers publishes a startups and emerging companies ranking you can read separately. Rates are hourly and not posted on the sites. ### How much does a startup lawyer cost? These firms do not publish rates. Work is hourly unless you agree a fixed fee for formation or a defined financing. Ask for an estimate for the matter you have now, who will do the hours, and whether any amount is deferred until a round closes. Do not treat a blog post about typical fees as a quote. ### What is the difference between a startup law firm and a legal recruiter? A startup law firm represents the company. A legal recruiter finds attorneys for you to hire. You might use both, at different times. They are separate lists on this site. ### Do I need one of these firms for a small seed round? A priced round with institutional investors is where these firms are built to work. A very small incorporation can be a smaller firm or a fixed-fee product, if your investors do not require a particular counsel. Ask the lead investor which firms they are used to seeing on the other side, then pick a partner you can actually reach. ### Does OneGTM provide legal services? No. OneGTM builds outbound and CRM systems. Nothing on this page is legal advice. The round is done and the sales system is not? ## Related - [Best legal recruiting firms](https://getaob.com/legal-recruiters): Legal recruiting firms for law firms and in-house teams, and how placement fees work. - [Best pitch deck consultants](https://getaob.com/pitch-deck-consultants): Pitch deck and fundraising consultants, with the package prices they publish. - [Best fractional CFO firms](https://getaob.com/fractional-cfo-firms): Fractional CFO and startup accounting firms, and which of them publish prices. - [Best finance and fintech recruiters](https://getaob.com/finance-recruiters): Finance and fintech recruiters for banks, funds, and startups, with what they publish on fees. - [Best GTM agencies for startups](https://getaob.com/gtm-agencies-for-startups): Outbound, founder-led sales, marketing, and RevOps firms for seed to Series B, compared by stage. ## Get an outbound system review Tell me what you're building. I reply the same day. Book a call at [getaob.com/#contact](https://getaob.com/#contact) or email [team@getaob.com](mailto:team@getaob.com).