Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati recently was honored among 25 “Elite” firms by Global Data Review in the publication’s annual GDR 100 rankings, which recognize firms that consistently deliver top advice to multinational clients around the world, and ranked as the No. 1 Busiest Firm for Data Protection and Privacy – Investigations. In addition, the firm ranked highly in several other subcategories, including No. 2 for Busiest Firms: Non-Personal Data; No. 7 for Data Protection and Privacy Capabilities; and No. 10 for Busiest Firms: Data Protection and Privacy – Overall.
The accompanying feature article comments that Wilson Sonsini’s “depth of expertise in the technology and life sciences industries has given it a head start in the world of privacy and cybersecurity, where those practice areas are often particularly important,” and notes that the firm “helps clients comply with the swirling pool of laws that regulate data, defends companies facing class actions regarding the use of information, and helps organisations extract the most value they can from their data.” Further, the publication comments that the firm’s “client list reads like a who’s who of Silicon Valley giants” and references privacy and data protection work performed for Google, Twitter, Snap, TikTok, Coca-Cola, and Mastercard. The firm is described as deserving extra credit for leading the Investigations rankings: “Coming in at the top of this list is a truly stellar performance, given that the firm has data practitioners located only in the US, Belgium and the UK. The firm has a huge number of live investigations on the books.” More broadly, Wilson Sonsini was named as one of only a few firms with a more focused data practice that earned a place among the Elite due to “the quality of their work and their reputation on the market,” as well as having a strong referral network.
The guide singled out four Wilson Sonsini attorneys for praise, including global privacy and cybersecurity practice co-chairs Lydia Parnes and Cédric Burton; former “high-level US government official” Christopher Olsen; and Christopher Kuner, characterized as “one of the brains behind the GDPR.”
According to Global Data Review, a software developer client described Wilson Sonsini’s counsel as “outstanding,” characterized the firm’s analysis as “thorough and thoughtful,” and praised its assessment of business risk in addition to legal risk. The client offered kudos for the firm’s mentorship of associates, adding that they “rely so heavily on [the firm’s] ability to grow associates that we regularly second their associates for our team.” This particular client also hailed Olsen as a “brilliant leader and creative thinker.”
For further details on the 2022 GDR 100 Elite, please click here.