Folger Levin & Kahn

Folger Levin & Kahn Profile and History

Founded in 1978, Folger Levin & Kahn is a general-practice firm with two general departments: litigation and business. Forty-four of the 59 attorneys in the San Francisco office are in the litigation department, the other 15 in business. Between those two practice areas, the firm covers a number of sub-specialties including real estate, intellectual property, estate planning, employment and enviro nmental litigation. In addition to its San Francisco office, the firm has a smaller office in Los Angeles. FLK may maintain a much lower profile than some bigger Bay Area firms, but its "client roster ranks among the area's most prestigious, featuring everyone from Yahoo!, The Gap, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and The Hilton Hotel chain to San Francisco's respected public television station, KQED. Folger Levin was among the battalion of top-tier firms engaged in PeopleSoft's valiant, but ultimately unsuccessful, struggle against Oracle's hostile takeover last year. And when Morgan, Lewis & Bockius -- which acquired dozens of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison's employees, as well as its office space and much of its equipment, when that firm closed -- was sued for severance pay by former Brobeckers, the Philly-based firm turned to Folger Levin partner Michael Kahn for its defense. Folger Levin's hiring policies are equally impressive. The firm is consistently cited as one of the country's most women-friendly firms. In 2004, for example, the Bar Association of San Francisco cited exactly one law firm - FLK - as a pioneer in shattering the proverbial glass ceiling. While nationally women comprise approximately 15 percent of law firm partnerships, at Folger women make up 48 percent of the partners. Women also represent 54 percent of the total attorneys at the firm, making it one of the few top firms (if not the only one) to have a female majority.