London privacy and information partner Phil Lee has been deployed to the office, which is inside the building of existing client Woodside Capital Partners -- a technology and life sciences-focused investment bank.

Real time relations

According to The Lawyer newspaper, the launch was approved by the partnership in May, with intellectual property partner Nick Rose – leader of Field Fisher’s US strategy group – suggesting the firm take advantage of its traditional strength in the technology and communications sector.
Mr Rose told the newspaper: ‘We’ve got a growing number of clients in the Silicon Valley area. [The office] means we can get in touch with clients real-time. In many ways [Silicon Valley] is the networking Mecca of the US, if not the world. A number of partners visit the area on a regular basis.’
The report compares the move to Field Fisher’s UK rival Osborne Clark, which made the leap to Silicon Valley in 2000.