General Information

Year founded: 1995
This is the year the firm (or its earliest predecessor entity) was founded.
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Overview

Content is provided by the firm.

Gunderson Dettmer has more than 400 lawyers singularly focused on the global venture capital and emerging companies ecosystem, across 11 offices in key markets throughout the world: Silicon Valley, Ann Arbor, Austin, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Beijing, and Singapore. The firm represents more than 2,500 venture-backed companies and over 450 of the world’s top venture capital and growth equity firms, including thousands of their underlying funds. For venture-backed companies, the firm provides guidance at every stage in their lifecycle, from launch through IPO and beyond, becoming extensions of their management teams as they prepare for their next stage of growth. For funds, the firm routinely negotiates close to one-third of every venture capital dollar raised worldwide and is the recognized global leader in the representation of venture capital and other growth equity funds in their investment activities, negotiating more than 1,000 venture and growth financings every year.

The Firm is a recognized international leader in the representation of venture capital and private equity investment funds. With extensive experience in North America, China, the EU and Latin America, our attorneys provide general counsel, fund formation and investor representation services to hundreds of the world’s leading venture capital and private equity firms. We are consistently ranked the most active fund formation and transactional firm in the country and the firm and our partners individually routinely earn highest industry rankings from Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, Best Lawyers and others. Gunderson Dettmer has been ranked as the most active law firm for venture capital financings globally by PitchBook every year of its League Tables – 2014 – 2021. With more than 2000 venture and growth equity deals to our credit in 2021, we were again ranked “most active law firm globally” in PitchBook’s Global League Tables. This reinforces previous recognition and rankings in numerous industry reports.

We combine our deep market knowledge and strong industry relationships with a unique practice experience to provide practical, business-oriented counsel designed for the needs of the emerging-growth company marketplace. For more information about the Firm, please visit www.gunder.com or contact one of our office leaders.

Rankings

Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLP is nationally ranked in 8 practice areas and metro ranked in 13 practice areas. Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process.

Read how Best Law Firms ranks firms

National Rankings

Tier 1
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 1 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
Tier 1 for Venture Capital Law
Tier 2
Tier 2 for Corporate Law
Tier 2 for Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law

Metro Rankings

Austin
Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Boston
Tier 1 for Corporate Law
Tier 1 for Venture Capital Law
Tier 2 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 2 for Employment Law - Management

Select Clients

  • Accel Capital
  • Andreessen Horowitz
  • Bit.ly
  • Catho Online
  • Etsy
  • Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
  • Palantir Technologies
  • PopSugar
  • Qlik Technologies (Nasdaq: QLIK)
  • Synchronoss Technologies (Nasdaq: SNCR)
  • Theravance, Inc. (Nasdaq: THRX)
  • Tiger Global
  • Vanda Pahrmaceuticals (Nasdaq: VNDA)
  • Veeva Systems
  • Warby Parker

Rankings

National Rankings

Tier 1
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 1 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
Tier 1 for Venture Capital Law
Tier 2
Tier 2 for Corporate Law
Tier 2 for Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law
Tier 2 for Securities / Capital Markets Law
Tier 2 for Technology Law
Tier 3
Tier 3 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Regional Rankings

Austin
Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Boston
Tier 1 for Corporate Law
Tier 1 for Venture Capital Law
Tier 2 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 2 for Employment Law - Management
Tier 2 for Litigation - Labor and Employment
Tier 2 for Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law
Tier 3 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 3 for Employment Law - Individuals
San Diego
Tier 1 for Corporate Governance Law
Tier 1 for Venture Capital Law
Tier 2 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
San Francisco
Tier 1 for Corporate Law
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 1 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
Tier 1 for Securities / Capital Markets Law
Tier 1 for Venture Capital Law
Tier 2 for Technology Law

Practice Areas

The below are areas of legal specialty volunteered by the firm and do not designate a specialty in which a Best Law Firms ranking is held.
  • Corporate Law
  • Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
  • Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
  • Securities / Capital Markets Law
  • Technology Law
  • Venture Capital Law

Individuals Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®

Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLP has 15 lawyers recognized for individual performance in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. By receiving this Best Lawyers recognition from their peers for their professional excellence, these lawyers made Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLP eligible for evaluation for Best Law Firms rankings. For almost two decades, Best Lawyers has awarded these singular accolades, making them the foundation of our Best Law Firms awards. Read more about our Best Lawyers process here.
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Client Comments

All client comments represent the opinions of the people who provided them. All potential clients are urged to remember that no two cases are ever completely alike and that the result in one case does not guarantee a similar result in another case.
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Awards

Awards are self-reported by firms and are not verified by the Best Law Firms rankings.
  • Chambers: Corporate/VC: Band One (California)
  • ACQ Law Firm of the Year
  • #1 in Private Equity Analyst's Most Active Law Firms in Venture Capital
  • Best Lawyers
  • Chambers: Investment Funds: VC: Band One (Nationwide)
  • Chambers: IT & Outsourcing: Band One (California)
  • 2014 VC/PE Foreign Fund Raising Legal Advisor of the Year, Zero 2 IPO
  • 2014 VC/PE Foreign Fund Investment Legal Advisor of the Year, Zero 2 IPO
  • Chambers: Investment Funds: VC: Band One (Nationwide)
  • Chambers: Corporate/M&A: VC: Band One (California)
  • 2014-2021 Most Active VC Law Firms Global (PitchBook)

Main Location

Office Locations

San Diego, CA
3570 Carmel Mountain Road, Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92130
United States
858-436-8000 Call our San Diego, CA location at 858-436-8000 Get Directions Get directions to our San Diego, CA location
Los Angeles, CA
12105 W Waterfront Drive, Suite 425
Los Angeles, CA 90094
United States
424-214-1800 Call our Los Angeles, CA location at 424-214-1800 Get Directions Get directions to our Los Angeles, CA location
São Paulo, BR
Rua Irmã Gabriela, 51 Brooklin Novo
Cidade Monções
São Paulo 04571-130
Brazil
Call our São Paulo, BR location at Get Directions Get directions to our São Paulo, BR location
Beijing, CN
Suite 2101, Building C, Yintai Center
#2 Jianguomenwai Avenue, Chaoyang District
Beijing 100022
China: Global Firms
+86 10 5680 3888 Call our Beijing, CN location at +86 10 5680 3888 Get Directions Get directions to our Beijing, CN location

Management and Personnel

Head of Venture Fund / Private Equity & Tax Practice
Steven R. Franklin
Head of Corporate / Securities Practice
Scott C. Dettmer

Contacts

Beijing Office Leader
Zhen Liu 8610-56803888
New York Office Leader
Kenneth R. McVay 212-730-8133
San Diego Office Leader
Jeffrey P. Higgins 858-436-8020
Silicon Valley Office Leader
Steven R. Franklin 650-321-2400
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