SAN FRANCISCO and WASHINGTON, July 2 LAWFUEL – The Legal Newswire — Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP, an intellectual property law firm of more than 200 attorneys and patent professionals, announced today the opening of its eighth office, in Washington, DC. Townsend’s newest office is the firm’s first office on the U.S. East Coast and adds a strong physical presence to Townsend’s established national IP practice.
The firm’s Washington, DC office will be staffed initially by five partners, one special counsel, one associate and a full support staff. Joining Townsend from the Washington, DC office of Kenyon and Kenyon are partners Gary Morris, who will serve as partner-in-charge of the office; Neil McCarthy; and John McGroarty. Joining Townsend from the Tysons Corner, VA office of McGuireWoods LLP are partners Richard Meyer, who was chair of the McGuireWoods patent practice and will serve as Townsend’s head of East Coast litigation and Jonathan Link; special counsel Andrew Pratt; and associate Andrea Tiglio, Ph.D.
“Establishing a presence on the East Coast has been a long-stated and important goal for our firm,” remarked Townsend’s chairman James G. Gilliland, Jr. “For an IP firm, Washington, DC is a logical choice by virtue of its proximity to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the International Trade Commission and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit — all venues where we have been extremely active for years.”
Townsend’s launch in Washington, DC is also the result of the firm’s ability to attract a significant number of outstanding local attorneys with expertise across nearly all of the firm’s existing practice areas. “We are extremely excited about the prospect of opening a new office for Townsend,” remarked Morris. “Townsend has always been recognized among IP professionals as a leader in the industry, even without an East Coast presence, but we look forward to using the firm’s new physical presence to open up what we think will be a wide range of new opportunities for the firm and its clients on the East Coast. This office will also be an important asset for the firm’s European client base and for Townsend’s U.S. clients doing business in Europe.”
The Washington, D.C. office will open with a decidedly patent-focused practice, advising clients on a wide range of patent procurement (prosecution); patent validity and infringement opinions; patent portfolio counseling; and patent litigation in federal courts and before the ITC. The office will open with technology expertise in the firm’s major patent procurement areas of focus: electronics & software; biotechnology & chemistry; and medical and mechanical devices. Partner Neil McCarthy, who joins as a member of the Biotechnology & Chemistry Practice Group, brings a particular focus on opinion work and related patent counseling for generic pharmaceutical companies. The office will also support Townsend’s attorneys in complementary practice areas such as trademark and copyright; antitrust; and commercial litigation.
The addition of seven new attorneys in Washington, D.C. continues a steady pattern of growth for the firm in all of its offices. The office, which will be located in the popular K Street business corridor, also provides an important East Coast base for Townsend’s growing litigation practice. Following the recent addition of three senior litigators in Seattle and the establishment of a litigation practice in San Diego, the Washington, DC office represents another important strategic advantage for Townsend’s litigation clients. “I have long admired Townsend’s litigation practice,” remarked Meyer. “They have been incredibly prolific nationwide — despite being physically located on the West Coast, they have been consistently recognized as a leading firm in the ITC and they have handled a number of cases before the Federal Circuit. This new office will further underscore for clients that Townsend is truly a national IP powerhouse.”
Biographical Information for Townsend’s New Partners
Gary Morris
Morris joins the firm as a partner in the Electronics & Software Practice Group and will serve as Partner-in-Charge of the Washington, DC office. He advises clients in a wide range of IT-related fields, with a particular focus on computer and network security, cryptography and telecommunications. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University in 1995. He received his postgraduate diploma in EC Competition Law, from the University of London, Kings College in 2006; his master’s degree in applied mathematics from State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1985; and his B.S. in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1983.
Richard Meyer
Meyer joins the firm as a partner in the Litigation Practice Group and will serve as Townsend’s chair for East Coast litigation. His practice focuses on the strategic enforcement and defense of patents, pre-litigation counseling, licensing and procurement in a wide range of industries. He has significant experience litigating high stakes patent cases, including medical devices, computer and telecom cases before courts in the U.S. as well as international venues in Germany, the Hague and the EPO. Beginning with his experience as a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office examiner, Mr. Meyer has 25 years experience in patent law. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1987, cum laude, and his B.E. from the Cooper Union School of Engineering in 1982.
Neil McCarthy
McCarthy joins the firm as a partner in the firm’s Biotechnology & Chemistry Practice Group. His practice focuses on patent procurement, enforcement and licensing for clients in the life sciences, with particular emphasis on pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device technologies. He received his J.D. from American University in 1997 and his B.S.E. in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1983.
John McGroarty
McGroarty joins the firm as a partner in the firm’s Electronics & Software Practice Group. His practice focuses on the procurement, licensing, and enforcement of patent rights. He also advises clients regarding the development and management of U.S. and international patent portfolios and patent licensing transactions. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University in 1995; his M.S. in materials science engineering from Cornell University in 1992; and his B.S. in materials science and finance from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989.
Jonathan Link
Link joins the firm as a partner in the Litigation Practice Group. He advises clients in a wide range of industries on patent litigation and related counseling, including electrical engineering, software, e-commerce and the Internet. He also brings to his litigation practice more than nine years of experience in prosecution and two years as an examiner in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He received his J.D. from George Mason University School of Law in 1998 and his B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, School of Engineering, in 1994.
Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP teams with businesses, inventors, entrepreneurs, scientists and investors to protect their innovative products and ideas. With offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Walnut Creek, San Diego, Denver, Seattle and Tokyo, Townsend has more than 200 attorneys and patent professionals, many with advanced technical degrees and extensive scientific and business experience. For more information on Townsend, please visit our Web site: http://www.townsend.com/.
Website: http://www.townsend.com/
