San Diego, June 29, 2005…Latham & Watkins LLP1 is pleased to announce that Stephen P. Swinton is joining the firm as a partner in the Litigation Department of the San Diego office, effective in early July. Swinton adds extensive trial and appellate experience in business and intellectual property matters to Latham’s burgeoning IP, Media and Technology Practice – particularly in cutting edge industries important to the San Diego and national economies such assoftware, electronics, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, semiconductor and telecommunications.
Swinton joins from Cooley Godward LLP, where he chaired the Intellectual Property Litigation practice. He joined Cooley Godward in March 1994 as a partner in its San Diego office.
Swinton’s practice involves hotly-contested patent infringement, trade regulation and other intellectual property litigation matters. He also has distinguished himself as a business litigator with extensive trial experience, having represented clients and successfully tried to decision a wide range of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret matters. He has been listed in “The Best Lawyers in America” since 1993.
“Steve is widely perceived as an outstanding lawyer, a highly regarded leader and practice builder, and a strong business generator.” said Bruce Shepherd, Managing Partner of Latham’s San Diego office. “Adding a lawyer of his caliber to Latham’s San Diego office strengthens our plans for growth in both this market and in our global IP litigation practice. We also see tremendous synergies with Latham’s strong corporate practice, particularly in the life sciences and telecommunications areas.”
Michael Weaver, local Chair of Latham’s Litigation Department in San Diego, added: “San Diego has established itself as a hub of innovation in several key industries, and that leadership means our clients here require the type of legal experience and expertise in IP-related areas that Steve brings to the table.”
“Latham’s robust and cohesive international structure should provide a strong platform from which I can continue to build my practice. The firm’s reputation for handling major litigation matters and the depth of experience are compelling qualities that attracted me to Latham,” said Swinton.
Swinton is admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He is also admitted to practice before numerous trial and appellate courts including the United States Supreme Court, the US Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Federal Circuits, the US District Courts for the Northern, Central and Southern Districts of California, and the California Supreme Court. Swinton is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the State Bar of California.
Swinton received his J.D., with honors, from Drake University Law School in 1982 and was admitted to the State Bar of California later that year. He also served as an extern to the Hon. Roy L. Stephenson, Judge, US Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Operations from Iowa State University in 1973.
Swinton has also served as a faculty member for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) and has been active in various bar associations, particularly in the field of legal ethics, having served as a member of the California State Bar Association Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct (COPRAC).
About Latham & Watkins
Latham & Watkins is a global law firm with more than 1,600 attorneys in 22 offices, including Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Milan, Moscow, New Jersey, New York, Northern Virginia, Orange County, Paris, San Diego, San Francisco, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. For more information on Latham & Watkins, please visit the Web site at www.lw.com.
