Lewis & Llewellyn

What Lewis & Llewellyn does

Lewis & Llewellyn LLP is a privately-held litigation boutique founded in 2012 by Marc R. Lewis and Paul T. Llewellyn, headquartered at 601 Montgomery Street in San Francisco with a second office at 2121 Avenue of the Stars in Los Angeles. The firm specializes in complex commercial disputes, intellectual property litigation (trade secret, copyright, trademark), employee mobility and startup litigation, M&A and contract litigation, business contingency plaintiff work, and a sexual abuse survivors civil practice. It represents both plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts across the United States, with a roster of named clients that includes Meta, Apple, Oracle, Zoom, Airbnb, Fidelity, Chevron, Genentech, craigslist, Fandom, OpenTable, the Golden State Warriors, and other large technology, financial, biotech, and consumer-facing companies.

The firm is staffed by approximately 21 attorneys (out of roughly 35 total personnel including paralegals, e-discovery specialists, and administrative staff) drawn from leading large-firm and clerkship pipelines including Latham & Watkins, Gibson Dunn, Quinn Emanuel, Paul Weiss, Wilson Sonsini, O'Melveny, Kirkland & Ellis, and federal appellate and district court clerkships. Its technology footprint is a paperless, litigation-support-equipped practice running standard boutique-grade case management and electronic filing tools; the firm does not ship a productized platform, mobile app, or developer-facing API. Service delivery emphasizes lean case staffing with experienced trial-ready attorneys, alternative fee arrangements (fixed fees and success-based), and contingency fee engagements where the firm advances litigation costs and is reimbursed only on a successful outcome.

Commercially, the firm monetizes through traditional billable-hour engagements with corporate defendants, contingent-fee plaintiff representation in commercial cases, fixed-fee and alternative-fee arrangements for appropriate matters, and contingency representation of sexual abuse survivors. Go-to-market is sales-led and reputation-led, anchored by consecutive-year recognition from Chambers & Partners (Spotlight 2025-2026), Benchmark Litigation (2024, 2026), Best Lawyers (2025-2026), Daily Journal Top Boutiques (2024), Daily Journal Top 100 Lawyers (multiple years), and Super Lawyers, combined with CLE speaking, content marketing via the firm's blog, an RAINN leadership tie-in, and an annual undergraduate fellowship program. The firm is wholly founder- and partner-owned as an LLP, with no outside capital, parent, or subsidiary structure and no disclosed funding history.

Name

Lewis & Llewellyn

Legal name

Lewis & Llewellyn LLP

Website

https://lewisllewellyn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lewis & Llewellyn is a privately-held litigation boutique founded in 2012 that represents Fortune 100 companies and select plaintiffs in complex commercial, intellectual property, employment, and sexual abuse matters across federal and state courts, operating from San Francisco and Los Angeles with approximately 21 attorneys.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Litigation

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB)

Keywords

• Complex commercial litigation
• Intellectual property litigation
• Employee mobility litigation
• Trade secret litigation
• Contingency fee litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Commercial Litigation Services: The firm provides high-stakes civil litigation services to corporate clients, handling complex business disputes, intellectual property cases, employment litigation, and trade secret matters for plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts.
2. Contingency Fee Arrangements: For business contingency cases, the firm enters into contingency fee arrangements where they only get paid if the client wins. They advance all litigation costs and are reimbursed only upon successful resolution.
3. Alternative Fee Arrangements: The firm offers alternative fee agreements beyond traditional billable hour models, including fixed fees and success-based arrangements for appropriate cases.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lewis & Llewellyn is an elite litigation boutique law firm that provides high-stakes civil litigation services to corporate and individual clients in federal and state courts throughout the United States. Its core offerings span complex business disputes (breach of contract, M&A litigation, antitrust, business torts), employee mobility and startup litigation (non-competes, trade secrets, founders' disputes), intellectual property litigation, contingency-fee plaintiff representation, and sexual abuse survivor representation. The firm staffs every case leanly with experienced trial-ready attorneys and offers alternative fee arrangements alongside traditional billing.

Product overview

Lewis & Llewellyn is an elite litigation boutique that offers legal services rather than technology products. The firm provides a unified suite of legal services centered on complex commercial litigation, operating as a traditional law practice. Services include Complex Business Disputes (handling breach of contract, M&A litigation, antitrust, and crisis matters), Employee Mobility & Startup Litigation (covering non-competes, trade secrets, and founders' disputes), Intellectual Property Litigation (trade secrets, copyright, trademark), Business Contingency (contingency fee arrangements), and Sexual Abuse Survivors Representation. The firm serves plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts throughout the United States, with a paperless practice powered by technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Complex Business Disputes Handles breach of contract, software implementation disputes, fraud, M&A litigation, business torts, insurance coverage, professional liability, antitrust, unfair competition, and crisis litigation/trial substitution matters in federal and state courts for enterprise clients.
• Employee Mobility & Startup Litigation Covers employment litigation, employee onboarding, founders' disputes, non-compete and non-solicit agreements, confidential business information, investor disputes, and labor & employment litigation and counseling for technology and venture-backed companies.
• Intellectual Property Litigation Handles trade secret misappropriation, royalty disputes, copyright litigation, other IP rights, Computer Fraud and Abuse Act claims, and trademark litigation for plaintiffs and defendants.
• Business Contingency Representation Contingency fee-based representation for plaintiffs in civil litigation, including breach of contract and class actions, where the firm only gets paid if the client wins and generally advances all litigation costs reimbursed upon successful resolution.
• Sexual Abuse Survivors Representation Civil litigation representation for survivors of sexual abuse against perpetrators and institutions, handled on a contingency fee basis with focus on obtaining justice and institutional accountability.

Quantifiable outcome

• $25.7 million jury verdict for EchoSpan in trade secret case
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)minorOthers · 1 October 2020Paul Llewellyn was appointed to the National Leadership Council of RAINN, the country's largest anti-sexual violence organization. The National Leadership Council is a leadership group recognizing individuals for their commitment to RAINN's mission of supporting survivors of sexual assault and bringing perpetrators to justice. This represents the firm's commitment to sexual abuse advocacy and survivor support.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Keker Van Nest & Peters: Elite San Francisco-based litigation boutique serving technology and Fortune 500 clients in complex commercial disputes. Highly comparable in size, geography, business model, and client roster—often mentioned alongside Lewis & Llewellyn as one of California's premier trial boutiques.
• Hueston Hennigan: California-based litigation boutique representing technology and Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes commercial disputes. Highly comparable in geography, client base, lean staffing model, and trial-readiness positioning.
• Boies Schiller Flexner: Major litigation and trial firm representing Fortune 100 companies in complex commercial matters. Comparable in selective enterprise client base and trial-readiness positioning, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Durie Tangri: Bay Area litigation boutique founded by alumni of California's largest law firms, focusing on complex commercial and intellectual property litigation. Comparable in geography, IP and commercial litigation practice mix, and technology client base.
• Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan: The largest litigation-only boutique in the United States, founded in 1986 with deep California presence. Multiple Lewis & Llewellyn partners (Brad Estes, Zachary Flood) trained at Quinn Emanuel, making it both a direct competitor and a primary talent source.
• Susman Godfrey: Premier national litigation boutique known for high-stakes bet-the-company trials on both plaintiff and defense sides. Directly comparable in elite clientele, contingency fee capability, and selective representation philosophy.
• Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott: Elite Chicago-based litigation boutique recognized nationally for complex commercial trial work. Directly comparable in boutique-only litigation model, selective Fortune 500 client roster, and senior-attorney-driven staffing.
• Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: National plaintiff-side litigation boutique with strong California presence representing consumers, employees, and investors in complex cases. Comparable in contingency fee model, mission-driven practice areas, and selective high-stakes engagements.

Broad incumbents

• Latham & Watkins: Global Am Law 10 firm with a market-leading litigation practice and major Silicon Valley presence. Multiple Lewis & Llewellyn partners (Marc Lewis, Ryan Erickson, Paul Llewellyn, Newton Oldfather) trained at Latham, making it both a competitor for the same matters and the firm's primary lateral talent source.
• Gibson Dunn: Global Am Law 10 firm with one of the country's premier litigation practices serving Fortune 100 companies. Directly comparable in enterprise client base and complex commercial litigation, but operates as a full-service international firm; multiple L&L partners (Peter Squeri) trained at Gibson Dunn.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SFlawyers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lewis & Llewellyn