If you’re serious about growing in the tech industry, where better to start than in the world capital of innovation, Silicon Valley?

We opened our office in the Santa Clara valley of northern California in 1999 and, since then, it’s been strategically vital in growing our business, reputation and relationships with some of the giants of the tech world, including the office’s largest client, Facebook.

Other major clients include Slack, Walmart, Gilead and Toshiba, with the office specializing in practice areas such as Intellectual Property, Technology Transactions, Corporate M&A and Antitrust.

Office executive partner Heather Burke, who is a partner in our Global Antitrust Practice, explains: “The potential for growth in the tech market is huge and it’s a sign of the Firm’s commitment and plans for this office that technology is one of only four industries that Hugh Verrier is prioritizing in our global strategy.

“I joined the office in 2012 and, since then, the importance of having a presence in Silicon Valley has been highlighted by our involvement in so many international cases, as well as local work.”

Heather became OEP earlier this summer, succeeding Bijal Vakil, and she’s clear on her immediate priorities.

“The big challenge here is building out the team in line with our ambitious goals for the office,” she says. “Attracting top quality people in the right practice areas is particularly difficult in Silicon Valley because the market and culture is so dynamic and people tend to move jobs far more regularly than in other areas.

“As a result, one of my big responsibilities is to market the Firm and this office to people who we feel are going to be a great match for White & Case.”

In recent months, we’ve been working with the same recruitment experts that are helping us grow our Houston office to assist us in achieving that growth.

Space for new recruits shouldn’t be a problem since the Silicon Valley team moved to a new, larger office in the Palo Alto Square complex at the beginning of 2018.

“We have a whole floor ready to fill, so we have everything in place to take the office to the next level.”

Heather says: “We have a whole floor ready to fill, so we have everything in place to take the office to the next level.

“As someone who’s been at the Firm for 14 years and in Silicon Valley for almost eight years, I know what a great place it is to work and I want us to build on that.

“I recently talked to team members around the office and one thing kept being mentioned – how great the people are. That’s certainly one of the biggest things that’s kept me here and keeps on inspiring me.

“Whoever you work with in the office or across the network, you are always around people who share the same culture, are great at their jobs, but who also do things in the right way and respect each other.

“That’s priceless and, alongside our global network and exciting client base, it makes the Firm the attractive proposition it is.”

Another area of focus for the office is attracting more small start-up tech companies to become clients.

Heather explains: “Getting a foothold in this market can be difficult because they think so differently and require an equally innovative approach to pricing when seeking legal advice.

“That means that legal firms who’ve been successful with start-ups in Silicon Valley have had to adapt the way they charge, so we need to explore whether that’s something that could work for us.

“We’re also identifying potential lateral hires who have experience and contacts with start-ups, because it’s a hard sector to get into without established relationships.”

In addition, the office is passionate about helping the Firm deepen and extend its relationships with new and existing international clients, with one example being the global bio-technology giant Gilead Sciences.

Heather says: “We’re currently working alongside our colleagues in New York and Washington, D.C. to represent Gilead as it fights a lawsuit claiming that it conspired with other pharmaceutical manufacturers to keep the price of HIV medicine components high and stifle competition.

“Being chosen by Gilead is a big win for the Firm and having a presence in Silicon Valley is important, because the client is based in Foster City, California.

“It’s just one example of the office’s strategic importance.”

Heather also hopes the office can attract more local clients, not only through winning fee-paying work, but by partnering on pro-bono matters and getting involved in charity events.

She says: “Just having that face-to-face contact and building relationships is important as it cements the Firm’s name in the minds of companies in Silicon Valley.”

Establishing the right culture has also been a key goal for the office, with Heather keen to build on this as the office grows.

“Our team is quite small, so small things can make a big difference,” she says. “For instance, the move to our new office space has had an immediate impact, simply by giving us more communal places where we can meet and chat.

“It’s also much more open than our previous office and more representative of what a Silicon Valley client might expect.

“As a team we’ve experienced a lot of change in recent times, but any change is also an opportunity for growth.”

“As a team, we’ve experienced a lot of change in recent times, but any change is also an opportunity for growth.

“When I took the role of OEP, Hugh told me how committed White & Case is to growing this office and how central we are to the Firm’s global strategy.

“We have a great team here and our priority is to build on that firm foundation with more great people who share the same vision and mindset.

“It’s an exciting place to be and, as OEP, it gives me the chance to make a difference and view the whole picture. I’m looking forward to what we can achieve together.”