IPO Field Guide: Translating Complexity Into Executable Strategy


74 minute read | February.23.2026

Preparing for an IPO is more than a checklist; it’s a sustained campaign that will be driven by discipline and cross-functional collaboration to establish the right infrastructure. The process is not just about avoiding risk but enabling your business to move quickly and confidently when the market window opens. Companies that understand and approach readiness as an ongoing part of their overall maturation position themselves for stronger valuations, smoother execution, and lasting credibility in both the private and public markets.

Orrick’s IPO Field Guide is designed for general counsel and leadership teams who want to move from uncertainty to execution. Drawing on our extensive capital markets and sector expertise, this resource goes beyond boilerplate advice to deliver practical steps, real-world examples, and proven strategies.

Inside, you’ll find practical steps for:

  • Updating board and committee structures
  • Building the right internal team and engaging key advisors for IPO readiness
  • Documenting controls and compressing financial close
  • Auditing legal assets, contracts, and policies
  • Managing information flow and disclosure discipline
  • Shaping public company culture and cross-functional habits
  • Aligning investor messaging and equity compensation
  • Handling pre-IPO liquidity and dual-track scenarios
  • Sustaining momentum and avoiding common pitfalls
  • Remembering that the IPO is only one step on your journey

Download the Guide 

Orrick’s Capital Markets Practice
Orrick’s Capital Markets team focuses on capital raising solutions for disruptors, with deep expertise across the technology, life sciences and healthtech, energy and infrastructure, and finance sectors. We advise on complex transactions across the business life cycle, representing companies, private equity sponsors, venture capital firms, investors and banks. Orrick’s full-service practice allows us to work with clients on all aspects of their business plans, guiding them from inception to IPO and through operating as public company and beyond.