What are the best law firms in Austin for startups?

In my opinion, The "best" is always relative. While you should look for a lawyer who has experience working with startups, it's extremely important to find a lawyer who seems like a good "fit" for your company and your own working style. To do that, you can interview multiple lawyers to get a sense of their approach. Also, you should consider what types of legal needs you are most likely to encounter -- are you in an IP heavy industry? Will you have workers abroad? Are you planning to raise around? Is your industry regulated? -- and make sure the law firm you hire has expertise in those areas as well. 
With that in mind, there are many excellent law firms in Austin who focus on startups. You should check out the company I founded, Priori Legal. We are a curated b2b legal marketplace with a network of experienced, pre-vetted lawyers. Our lawyers are experts in a wide range of areas of startup law, and they have to undergo arigorous screening process (only about 20% of applicants are invited to join our network). In addition, our lawyers offer exclusive discounts through the site. 
Once you tell us a bit about your legal needs, we hand select a list of local, experienced lawyers just for you. You can schedule a free consultation with any lawyers who interest you. With Priori, you know you are only seeing very top lawyers with relevant experience -- and then you can compare and find the lawyer who fits with your company and can be a trusted advisor as you grow. 
Please don’t hesitate to check out our site and to reach out to me directly with any questions!

As i know, Latham & Watkins, Wilson Sonsini, and Morrison & Foerster are all nationally recognized for their achievements working with startups. In general, law firms are a great resource for startups looking to: establish credible backing by a brand-name firm, tap into a partner’s investment network, or have all of their legal issues handled for them (which is nice), BUT they are not the only option. 

If you’re a startup, then you’re most likely not trying to break the bank on legal help (which is what you’ll be doing with billing rates of  $500 to $1,000 an hour on average at these firms). That being said, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice quality and experience just because you can’t afford the hourly rates these law firms charge, deferred fees aside. If you’re looking for help forming your startup, managing co-founder agreements and stock options, reviewing/negotiating contracts, handling employee or fundraising issues, or are seeking legal advice on IP related matters, then you should come check out UpCounsel (full disclosure, I’m the CEO). We match you to quality attorneys who specialize in your background, business, and legal needs, at prices that you can afford (since overhead fees are completely eliminated). 

Attorneys on UpCounsel's site come from the top firms and tech companies -including Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn, along with those firms listed above - and are vetted based upon their expertise, business framework, price transparency, and responsiveness. Startups who have used UpCounsel's platform save 60% on their legal bills on average, and have great things to say about our Austin startup attorneys.


Hopefully this helps - just letting you know that there are other options out there. Happy to help you figure out your best option either way, since I was formerly an Associate at one of the law firms listed above.