To get in, your name has to be on the guest list, which has been known to fill up weeks in advance. Even so, people just show up and mill about on the off chance that a much-coveted spot becomes available. But these hot spots aren’t popular new nightclubs or trendy restaurantsthey’re law offices. With all the buzz surrounding recent IPOs for social networking companies like LinkedIn Corp., the seemingly endless proliferation of mobile app startups, and a series of blockbuster patent deals involving corporate titans like Google Inc., Silicon Valley is hot again. As a result, seemingly humdrum events, which range from networking receptions for entrepreneurs and investors to workshops about preparing for an IPO, have evolved into coveted gatherings with many of the valley’s high-profile law firms playing host. “These events represent the real ethos of Silicon Valley,” says Craig Jacoby, chair of Cooley’s emerging company group. “People are happy to get together and share information, and we’re happy to provide space for this to happen.”
“The tech industry depends on these events,” adds Palo Altobased Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati partner Donna Petkanics. “They are part of the infrastructure of lawyers, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs that has allowed the industry to grow and become so successful.” Petkanics says that Wilson Sonsini typically hosts four to five events, usually held at night, each week in its office on Page Mill Road in Palo Alto. One recent event was a panel discussion about the burgeoning 3D printing industry.
