Legal News

Softer landings for Heller's IP associates

By Jason Siegel

Associates specializing in intellectual property or patents for now-defunct Heller Ehrman have fared better than most of their former peers in securing new jobs, with three firms in the last week picking up 42 associates in teams of IP and patent lawyers.

Law firms have been plucking the bones of the dissolved Heller Ehrman firm for weeks, but many held back at including any of the 200 Heller associates, except for those in desirable specialties.

Foley & Lardner became the latest to announce on Monday, that it has hired a 10-lawyer team of IP specialists, led by David Kleinfeld, former co-chair of Heller's complex commercial litigation and IP practice to join Foley's San Diego and nearby Del Mar, Calif. offices.

On Friday, Seattle-based Perkins Coie said it would take on 13 lawyers from Heller's Madison, Wisconsin office, including nine associates specializing in IP and patents. Heller senior partners John Skilton and David Harth, as well as David Jones, a former assistant U.S. attorney, lead this team move.

Previously announced hires from Covington & Burling included 30 Heller associates, all patent specialists, along with 14 partners, to open San Diego and Silicon Valley offices.

Kleinfeld, who got Heller's San Diego IP operation off the ground a decade ago, said, "It was very important to me to keep the team in tact. I derived great satisfaction of building Heller's practice from the ground up? and the people who contributed to that earned a great deal of loyalty," he said.

He said he could not speculate on the reasons other firms have hesitated at taking on associates. "It doesn't make sense to me. A partner is going to need associates and a client is going to benefit from having associates at lower billing rates," he said. Kleinfeld said clients benefit in the long run as associates develop knowledge of a client's needs that may be helpful in any future litigation.

Two other announcements started this week with two Heller partners, Carl B. Johnson and Dan Titelbaum, joining the San Francisco office of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps. Johnson will join the San Diego-based firm's real estate practice.

He has represented major banks and lenders, developers and investors in real estate deals, including office buildings, shopping centers hotel and resort properties.

Titelbaum will join the business and corporate practice. He specializes in acquisitions, joint ventures, business disputes, corporate governance and project finance.

The third announcement saw Todd G. Glass, the former chair of Heller's energy practice, joining Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati 's clean technology and renewable energy practice in Palo Alto, Calif.

Glass represents project developers, financiers and utilities on development, purchase and sale of renewable and thermal generation projects, as well as financing and, state and federal regulation of the electric industry.

The Foley move to bring on Kleinfeld's team adds a group that has worked together on intellectual property issues and brings Qualcomm as a significant client.

Kleinfeld's team brings the total in the two offices to 56 lawyers, five patent agents and two technical specialists.

"From our standpoint, we viewed this as a cohesive, dynamic group," said Van Tengberg, managing partner for Foley's San Diego and nearby Del Mar, Calif. offices.

"They had a strong desire to stay together and had pending matters they had worked on, and they worked well together. The whole was greater than the sum of the parts," he said.

The Perkins Coie group adds to the firm's IP and litigation practices. Another member of the group includes Timothy Burns, going to the insurance coverage group, with eight IP litigation associates and one patent associate.

"We are committed to expanding our litigation capabilities and this group of highly respected lawyers will help our pursuit of that strategic goal," said Bob Giles, Perkins Coie managing partner.

-- Pamela A. MacLean

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on October 21, 2008 (boomark / email).