Caldwell is ranked and reviewed on Firsthand as the go-to firm for high-growth startups and early-stage technology companies. Vault Law’s rankings are based on exclusive insider information from verified employees in the law industry. Each year, Vault surveys thousands of law firm associates, and from the results of these surveys, Vault ranks the top law firms in prestige, diversity, quality of life, and overall best to work for.¹ In 2023, Caldwell ranks #7 Best Law Firm for Wellness, #8 Best Law Firm for Satisfaction, and #10 Best Law Firm for Informal Training, Mentoring & Sponsorship within midsize firms.

Vault’s Verdict

The site notes that “Caldwell is an IP powerhouse where associates can expect to work hard and play hard. Being a self-starter is key to getting hired into the firm’s collaborative and social environment. Offices gather twice per week for lunch, and partners have an open-door policy at the firm. Partners are ready and willing to communicate their expectations, and there is transparency around firm finances.” Additionally, “Work-life balance is part of the firm’s culture, with no billable hour requirement and free gym memberships that the firm encourages associates to use.”

Diversity and Transparency

Law students, lawyers, and firm management place increasing value on a diverse working environment. That’s why Vault has devoted a special section to associates’ rankings on diversity issues. “The firm far out paces competitors in this category with POC, Woman, and LGBTQ+ rates considerably higher than average,” employees said. “Very diverse office. Attorneys and staff come from different backgrounds.” Associates note that “Partners are very easy to speak [with] to get advice and/or guidance. They are always happy to speak in any capacity. Partnership is very transparent with everything going on with the firm and incoming work and business.”

Associates assess their own firms on a range of workplace issues related to career development, job satisfaction, and quality of life. Vault’s 2023 Rankings are derived from Vault’s Annual Associate Survey conducted from January 2022 through March 2022.²

Firm Culture and Hiring Process

Vault further notes that for Caldwell “The most important thing we are looking for is the motivation to jump into the work and embrace challenges. We are not looking for specific experience and/or education. We want people who can produce a quality work product and seek to keep growing.”

Caldwell is committed to a team-first culture highly valuing collaboration, camaraderie, and community. Each of our attorneys, technical specialists, and staff is key in achieving the successes of our firm. Managing Member Keegan Caldwell states that the “bright leaders at Caldwell are helping us become the standard for a law firm in the digital age. They inspire me. They teach me what a team is all about. They never give up.”

At Caldwell, growth of both the firm and our team members is integral to our culture. Here, team members are given the tools to expand their skill bases and are encouraged to further their knowledge.

Who we are

Caldwell has built a thriving practice around patent prosecutions, patent litigation, post-grant proceedings, and patent portfolio strategy. Caldwell also has a strong trademark practice, including counseling and prosecution, licensing, and litigation. Clients range from startups to globally recognized brands, and the firm isn’t afraid to take on work in a variety of sectors—it has experience across industries such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, biofuels, medical devices, data security, internet technologies, process automation, mobile apps, social media, software, space exploration, and more. A strong bench of experts helps the firm tackle such a breadth—Caldwell attorneys and technical specialists have degrees in everything from pharmacy and neuroscience to physics and chemistry to electrical, mechanical, biomedical, and computer engineering.

The firm boasts a USPTO allowance rate—the rate at which the USPTO issues patents—of over 99%. It also handles post-grant proceedings ranging from inter partes review (IPR), covered business method review (CBM), post-grant review (PGR) proceedings, inter partes and ex parte reexams, supplemental examinations, and derivation procedures. On a global scale, Caldwell helps clients seeking international patent protection navigate the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), and the firm is involved in more than 40 Section 337 investigations involving imported products.

Open positions are available here.

For hiring information, please contact Caldwell’s Director of Human Resources, Lois Artz: lois@caldwelllaw.com

1. https://firsthand.co/blogs/vaults-law-blog-legal-careers-and-industry-news/2023-vault-law-rankings

2. Ibid.