Menlo Park-based law firm Carr & Ferrell LLP is pleased to announce the celebration of its 20th anniversary as one of Silicon Valley’s premier law firms specializing in intellectual property, corporate and litigation services. Since the firm’s inception in 1992, Carr & Ferrell has counseled thousands of entrepreneurs, inventors and companies, helping its clients transform emerging businesses into industry-leading enterprises. The firm focuses on representing venture-backed technology companies.
The firm’s attorneys can speak from personal experience when advising its many start-up clients through the legal and business challenges of “starting from scratch.” The firm was originally housed above a popular Italian eatery in downtown Palo Alto and consisted of just 4 attorneys. “I began to look forward to the smell of cooking garlic and marinara each afternoon,” Co-Founder Barry Carr reminisced. In true Silicon Valley spirit, the founders quickly learned that the firm’s small size and innovative approach were its greatest assets. “Having come from large firms, our goal was never to build the biggest firm we could, but rather to build the best firm that we could,” Co-Founder John Ferrell said.
Two decades later, the firm continues to thrive. Occupying a spacious new office building in Menlo Park, Carr & Ferrell employs 31 attorneys and 40 support staff. It continues to follow the approach that has enabled it to succeed across twenty years of Silicon Valley bubble and bust: agility, expertise, integrity and, above all, a commitment to developing lasting client relationships.
Managing Partner Barry Carr has chaired the firm’s Corporate Practice Group from the outset. Carr says that the firm’s unique approach makes it particularly well adapted to the local business community alongside which it has grown. “In many respects, our firm is the ‘last man standing’ in the local legal community: we are a mid-sized, homegrown, Silicon Valley full-service law firm dedicated to helping technology entrepreneurs and start-ups,” Carr said. “Unlike other law firms who may have offices in the region or who spend a lot of time doing large public company work, we live and breathe start-ups, and tailor our staff and our cost structure to accommodate the special needs of young, growing companies.”
Ferrell, Chair of the firm’s Patent Practice Group, credits the firm’s success to the emphasis it has long placed on technology and industry—as well as legal— expertise. “It is essential, given our extraordinary client base, that our attorneys possess not only the ability to handle complex legal matters, but also extensive industry and technical experience,” Ferrell said. “It is this expertise, above all, that enables us to serve our clients, who work with rapidly transforming, incredibly complex technologies.”
The firm’s attorneys heralded this latest milestone with at an Oktoberfest-themed soiree at its Constitution Drive headquarters, where friends, clients and alumni toasted to twenty years of leadership and excellence in the legal community. “It is thrilling to reflect on the past twenty years; not only on the growth of our own firm, but also having witnessed our clients — many of whom we met during their garage-bench days — grow into industry-leading companies and household names,” Ferrell said. “It is very rewarding to know that we played a role in those success stories.”
About Carr & Ferrell LLP
Carr & Ferrell LLP is a full-service law firm uniquely positioned to provide strategic patent and intellectual property, corporate, financing and litigation services. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley’s technology and venture capital community, our attorneys leverage their technical, business and legal expertise to help emerging companies and investors transform business concepts into industry leading enterprises. A strong and focused firm, we have made senior level attention a hallmark of our clients’ experience.