Key Takeaways
- • Orrick has secured the #1 position as legal advisor to the European venture capital ecosystem for the tenth consecutive year, according to PitchBook data, establishing dominant market positioning in VC-focused legal services across a major capital region.
- • The firm is executing aggressive lateral partner recruitment across technology and venture capital practices, adding seven lateral partners to its Technology Companies Group in 2025 alone, including Adam Freiman (New York), Mark Solakian and Jake Gatof (Boston), and a 14-lawyer tech and VC team in Los Angeles, signaling sustained investment in innovation-sector legal services.
- • Orrick has expanded geographically into Miami with a three-partner M&A and private equity team focused on the region's tech and innovation ecosystem, and added five partners to New York this year, demonstrating strategic push to deepen East Coast presence and capability in growth-stage investing.
- • The firm is leveraging integrated service offerings across transactional and regulatory support with sector-specific focus (AI, biotech, fintech, healthtech, life sciences, blockchain, SaaS), positioning itself to capture broader deal flow beyond traditional venture counsel and capturing downstream corporate governance and M&A work.
- • Adam Freiman and other recent hires bring deep relationships with tier-one institutional investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Thrive Capital, and FJ Labs, strengthening Orrick's access to deal flow and institutional client retention in competitive VC legal services market.
Summary
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe has consolidated its position as the leading legal advisor to the venture capital ecosystem, maintaining the #1 ranking in Europe for the tenth consecutive year per PitchBook analysis. This sustained dominance reflects the firm's strategic focus on technology and innovation-sector legal services at a time when institutional capital deployment in early-stage and growth-equity investing remains substantial globally.
The firm is pursuing an aggressive talent acquisition strategy to extend its market reach and deepen sector expertise. In 2025 alone, Orrick has added seven lateral partners to its Technology Companies Group, including technology and venture capital advisor Adam Freiman, who joined the New York office as a partner. Freiman advises high-growth companies across AI, biotech, fintech, healthtech, life sciences, software, SaaS, blockchain, and e-commerce on venture and growth equity financings, M&A transactions, corporate governance, and joint ventures. Additional 2025 hires include life sciences and VC specialists Mark Solakian and Jake Gatof in Boston, and a 14-lawyer tech companies and VC team established in Los Angeles. New York has received five partner-level additions in 2025 to date.
Geographically, Orrick launched operations in Miami during summer 2025 with a dedicated three-partner M&A and private equity team explicitly focused on the region's emerging tech and innovation ecosystem, indicating recognition of capital formation and deal activity concentration outside traditional coastal hubs. These hires bring established relationships with institutional investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Thrive Capital, and FJ Labs, providing direct access to deal flow and advisory mandates.
The firm's positioning emphasizes integrated service delivery beyond traditional transaction counsel. Recent recruits highlight Orrick's expanded capacity to address both transactional and regulatory matters within concentrated sector verticals, including AI governance, cybersecurity compliance, and life sciences regulatory frameworks. This integrated offering allows the firm to capture the full corporate lifecycle engagement with growth-stage companies and their investor bases, extending billable relationships beyond financing rounds into regulatory navigation and enterprise governance matters.
The firm is pursuing an aggressive talent acquisition strategy to extend its market reach and deepen sector expertise. In 2025 alone, Orrick has added seven lateral partners to its Technology Companies Group, including technology and venture capital advisor Adam Freiman, who joined the New York office as a partner. Freiman advises high-growth companies across AI, biotech, fintech, healthtech, life sciences, software, SaaS, blockchain, and e-commerce on venture and growth equity financings, M&A transactions, corporate governance, and joint ventures. Additional 2025 hires include life sciences and VC specialists Mark Solakian and Jake Gatof in Boston, and a 14-lawyer tech companies and VC team established in Los Angeles. New York has received five partner-level additions in 2025 to date.
Geographically, Orrick launched operations in Miami during summer 2025 with a dedicated three-partner M&A and private equity team explicitly focused on the region's emerging tech and innovation ecosystem, indicating recognition of capital formation and deal activity concentration outside traditional coastal hubs. These hires bring established relationships with institutional investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Thrive Capital, and FJ Labs, providing direct access to deal flow and advisory mandates.
The firm's positioning emphasizes integrated service delivery beyond traditional transaction counsel. Recent recruits highlight Orrick's expanded capacity to address both transactional and regulatory matters within concentrated sector verticals, including AI governance, cybersecurity compliance, and life sciences regulatory frameworks. This integrated offering allows the firm to capture the full corporate lifecycle engagement with growth-stage companies and their investor bases, extending billable relationships beyond financing rounds into regulatory navigation and enterprise governance matters.
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