Benesch Continues Growth, Expanding San Francisco Footprint and Adding BigLaw Attorney Christopher Stretch

Benesch, one of the fastest-growing firms on the Am Law 200 list, is thrilled to announce its continued growth with the expansion of its San Francisco office footprint and the addition of Christopher Stretch as a partner in its Litigation Practice Group in San Francisco. 

“We’re extremely bullish in San Francisco, and we’ve been increasingly attracting top-tier talent to the firm, hence the need for more space—almost double our initial footprint,” said Benesch San Francisco Partner-in-Charge Stephanie Sheridan. “Our client base is growing, our headcount is growing based on those demands for increasingly sophisticated work, and we couldn’t be more excited to expand this office and welcome Chris to the team at the same time. It’s truly a testament to our momentum and the exceptional professionals we continue to attract.”

The expansion adds an additional floor to the Benesch San Francisco office’s existing space at 100 Pine Street in the Financial District, growing its square footage by nearly 70%—from approximately 13,900 to more than 23,400.

Chris’ hiring comes on the heels of six lateral attorneys joining the office in the past year. With deep experience litigating complex commercial and intellectual property disputes in consumer products, life sciences, software and electronics, Chris brings an impressive track record to the firm.

“Chris brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of complex litigation, adding strength to our team and reflecting our commitment to delivering exceptional service to our clients,” said Sheridan.

Chris joins Benesch from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. He has successfully represented some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Hyundai, Amgen, Qualcomm, Oracle, Johnson & Johnson, Meta Platforms and Samsung. His litigation experience spans trial and appellate courts, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, covering trade secret misappropriation, false advertising, patent disputes, antitrust claims and other intellectual property matters.

“While I initially had no plans to move, once I started speaking to people about Benesch—and then to people at Benesch—it quickly became clear that I wanted to join,” said Chris. “There just aren’t many places, let alone law firms, filled with people who genuinely like and support each other. I couldn’t be more excited.”

A sought-after speaker, Chris has guest lectured at premier Bay Area law schools, including UC Berkeley, his alma mater, where he played on three national championship rugby teams, and Stanford.

Since its 2019 launch, the San Francisco office has grown by more than 200%. Recent additions include seven lateral hires in the past year, with three of them, including Chris, hired year-to-date.

Benesch continues to attract top-tier talent from BigLaw while expanding its Corporate & Securities, Data Privacy & Cybersecurity, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Private Equity, Retail & E-Commerce, Technology Transactions and White Collar, Government Investigations & Regulatory Compliance practices.