Microsoft’s chief patent counsel joins Shook Hardy

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Microsoft’s chief patent counsel joins Shook Hardy

eppenauer.jpg

Microsoft’s former chief patent counsel Bart Eppenauer has joined Shook Hardy & Bacon and will open the firm’s new Seattle office.

Eppenauer, who spent a decade at Microsoft and was based at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, joins Shook Hardy as a partner. Before joining Microsoft, he spent three years as an associate in Shook Hardy’s intellectual property department.

The office will open on December 1 2013, and Eppenauer will serve as its managing partner. He will initially be the only lawyer at Shook Hardy’s Seattle office, but the firm expects to expand the practice there.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

UK firm Shakespeare Martineau, which secured victory for the Triton shower brand at the Court of Appeal, explains how it navigated a tricky test regarding patent claim scopes
The firm’s managing partner said the city is an ‘exciting hub of ideas and innovation’
In our latest podcast, Deborah Hampton talks through her hopes for the year, INTA’s patent focus, London 2026, and her love of music
Tech leads at three IP service groups discuss why firms need to move away from off-the-shelf AI products and adopt custom solutions
IP firms say they have been educating some clients on AI use, with ‘knowledge-sharing’ becoming more prevalent
As the US patent system tilts further toward favouring patent owners, firms with a strong patentee focus can get ahead of the game
Amanda Yang and Rachel Tan at Rouse and Landy Jiang at Lusheng Law Firm provide an overview of the draft amendments to China’s trademark law
News of EIP launching an AI platform and a trade secret blow for TCS in the US were also among the top talking points
The four-partner addition includes A&O Shearman’s former co-head of global IP litigation
A settlement involving Disney and another ruling concerning a lawyer’s request for access to documents were also among the big developments
Gift this article