The new lawyers will join Covington's Washington DC and California offices, including two new offices in Silicon Valley and San Diego. The additions include 14 partners and six counsel, and are effective October 1.
Robert Haslam, whose background is in patent litigation, will head up the new Silicon Valley office, with the help of partners Stanley Young, Nitin Subhedar and Andrew Byrnes.
Alan Blankenheimer, Laura Muschamp, and Jo Dale Carothers will launch the San Diego office, while partners Robert Fram, Michael Plimack, Christine Haskett and Michael Markman will join Covignton's existing office in San Francisco.
In Washington DC, ITC experts Sturgis Sobin Maureen Browne and Johnny Chiu also join as partners.
The expansion bolsters Covington's West Coast IP practice and includes patent litigation attorneys proficient across sectors such as information technology, electronics and communications.
Heller Ehrman had no comment on the departures. The 118-year old firm last week reportedly voted to dissolve in November, after merger negotiations with a number of rivals collapsed.
