Arnold & Porter and Kaye Scholer have agreed to combine effective January 1 2017 to become Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer.
The firm will have about 1,000 lawyers across nine domestic and four international offices. It will have about 400 lawyers in Washington DC, 325 lawyers in New York, 175 lawyers in three California offices, and 60 lawyers in London.
“Arnold & Porter lawyers practice in more than 30 distinct practice areas, serving clients whose complex needs demand US, European Union or cross-border regulatory, litigation, and transactional services,” the firms said in a statement. “Arnold & Porter’s focus aligns with Kaye Scholer’s critical strengths in bankruptcy, corporate, finance, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, and tax.”
May Cheng (right) has joined Osler Hoskin & Harcourt’s Toronto office. Cheng was previously a partner and chair of the intellectual property practice Group in Fasken Martineau DuMoulin’s Toronto office. She has particular expertise in brand protection and enforcement, as well as anticounterfeiting efforts on behalf of well-known brands.
Senior district court Judge Ronald Whyte has stepped down in the Northern District of California after 24 years on the bench. Though his position required Judge Whyte to be a generalist, he made particularly notable contributions to local intellectual property law. Judge Whyte authored influential opinions that helped to shape fair and reasonable approaches to such complicated issues as the “free rider” problem in IPRs, handed down the district’s first post-Alice decision, and led the district (and eventually other California courts) in the adoption of standard patent case procedures.
David Randall has joined Brooks Kushman as partner in Los Angeles. He joins from Sheppard Mullin, and specialises in post-grant proceedings, patent litigation and IP counselling.
Brooks Kushman also opened its third office nationally, in Washington DC, hiring Lissi Mojica (left) as a partner in the new office. Mojica is a Patent Trial and Appeal Board specialist who joins from Dentons. Mojica previously spent 20 years working in the USPTO, where she launched the Central Reexamination Unit, which helps to ensure consist, high-quality work from the USPTO.
Brian Biddinger has joined Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan as a partner in its New York office. He was formerly a partner at Ropes & Gray, and specialises in patent litigation matters in district court, the International Trade Commission and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
Christopher Hanba has joined Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn as a partner in the firm’s Chicago office. He joins from K&L Gates’s Chicago office. His practice focuses on patent litigation for technology clients, but also litigates on behalf of clients in trade mark infringement and trade secret misappropriation matters.
IP boutique Fanelli Haag has joined the Seyfarth Shaw firm, with co-founding partners Dean Fanelli and Thomas Haag both becoming partners in the Washington DC litigation practice. The two partners brought along their team of four attorneys and patent agents.
Mishcon de Reya has added Andrea Pacelli (right) as senior counsel. He was formerly counsel at WilmerHale, and practices primarily in patent litigation in the mechanical and electrical spaces.
Morrison & Foerster has bolstered its patent litigation practice with a new partner each in its Washington DC and New York offices. David Manspiezer joins the firm’s New York office from WilmerHale, and Wyeth before that. Manspiezer specialises in counselling and litigation for pharmaceutical and life sciences companies. Greg Chopskie joins MoFo’s Washington DC office from Gilead Sciences, where he was associate general counsel, and was involved in Hatch-Waxman litigation.
Steven Hollman has joined Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton as a partner in the firm's business trial practice group. Hollman joins from Hogan Lovells where he was co-leader of the firm's false advertising and unfair competition practice group. He has more than 30 years of experience, focusing on complex commercial litigation and intellectual property litigation, including first chair jury trials in patent, trade mark and advertising cases.
Marcy Sperry (left) has joined Atlanta IP boutique Sladkus Law Group from King & Spalding. Sperry will focus on trade mark prosecution and enforcement, as well as copyright and general IP litigation matters.
Katten Muchin Rosenman has hired Terry Ross in its Washington DC office. He has expertise in media, e-commerce and technology IP. He joins from Crowell & Moring, where he chaired the firm’s trade mark and brand protection practice group.
Greenspoon Marder has added intellectual property to its practice areas, with a new Nashville office and founding practice area members Kelly Hollowell and Justin McNaughton. Hollowell joins as chair of the intellectual property group from Stites & Harbison with a broad range of IP experience including patent and trade mark work in the life sciences, mechanical and electric and renewable energy spaces. McNaughton will serve as senior counsel to the firm, and also joins from Stites & Harbison where he has worked mostly in software and technology patenting. He is president of the Young Lawyers Division of the Nashville Bar Association.
Maria Scungio has been elected to serve as chair of the US division of the American Intellectual Property Law Association. Scungio, a partner at Locke Lorde, will serve a one-year term as division chair, while continuing to co-chair Locke Lorde’s trade mark, copyright and advertising practice group.
