Cravath recruits Kappos as corporate partner

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

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

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

Cravath recruits Kappos as corporate partner

kappos-david-cravath-45.jpg

David Kappos, who left his job as director of the USPTO last Friday, has joined Cravath Swaine & Moore’s New York office as a partner in the firm's corporate practice

He will be part of Cravath’s corporate department and will handle both corporate and IP matters. Notably, although Cravath’s litigation practice includes IP litigation, the firm does not have a separate IP department.

kappos-david-cravath.jpg

Kappos, who was appointed USPTO director by President Barack Obama in 2009, announced in November 2012 that he would step down at the end of January.

His achievements at the USPTO include overseeing the implementation of the America Invents Act (AIA) and reducing the patent backlog by 20%, despite a 5% annual increase in applications.

Before joining the USPTO, Kappos was vice president and assistant general counsel for intellectual property for IBM, the owner of the most patents in the world. He joined IBM in 1983 as a development engineer and spent more than 25 years at the company.

Former USPTO deputy director Teresa Stanek Rea has taken over as the Office’s acting director. Speaking at AIPLA’s Mid-Winter Institute conference in Tampa on Saturday, Rea described Kappos as a “true visionary” who made “dramatic changes” to the patent office.

In an interview with Managing IP in November 2012, Judge Paul Michel, retired chief judge of the Federal Circuit, described Kappos as "the strongest USPTO leader we have had in at least a generation".

In a statement, Kappos said he was “thrilled” to be joining Cravath.

“I was fortunate to work closely with Cravath on many intellectual property matters over the years as a client at IBM, and I developed an extremely high regard for the firm's unique ability to achieve the best possible results handling the most complex and important corporate and contested IP issues,” said Kappos.





more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Attorneys explain why there are early signs that the US Supreme Court could rule in favour of ISP Cox in a copyright dispute
A swathe of UPC-related hires suggests firms are taking the forum seriously, as questions over the transitional stage begin
A win for Nintendo in China and King & Spalding hiring a prominent patent litigator were also among the top talking points
Rebecca Newman at Addleshaw Goddard, who live-reported on the seminal dispute, unpicks the trials and tribulations of the case and considers its impact
Attorneys predict how Lululemon’s trade dress and design patent suit against Costco could play out
Lawyers at Linklaters analyse some of the key UPC trends so far, and look ahead to life beyond the transition period
David Rodrigues, who previously worked at an IP boutique, said he may become more involved in transactional work at his new firm
Indian smartphone maker Lava must pay $2.3 million as a security deposit for past sales, as its dispute with Dolby over audio coding SEPs plays out
Powell Gilbert’s opening in Düsseldorf, complete with a new partner hire, continues this summer’s trend of UPC-related lateral movement
IP leaders at Brandsmiths and Bird & Bird, who were on opposing sides at the UK Supreme Court in Iconix v Dream Pairs, unpick the landmark case and its ramifications
Gift this article