America's Leading Business Lawyers 2003-2004: Intellectual Property
Chambers & Partners has compiled their independent and objective list of America's Leading Business Lawyers based on comments gathered from thousands of interviews with clients and lawyers from Maine to Hawaii. This guide -- which is designed to reflect market opinion -- contains a view of the firms and attorneys who are considered leaders in their field.
In Chambers' 2003-2004 review of national legal talent in the area of "Intellectual Property," our Firm and our lawyers are listed among the best in the country.
Chambers' comments:
Illinois
Ranking: 1
The Firm: Undoubtedly the premier IP group among the general practice firms, its historic decision to develop an IP capability is widely thought to have paid dividends, and the department has been a stand-alone operation for the past decade. The firm's depth of contentious expertise was frequently observed by interviewees, with trademark litigation regarded as an area of notable strength.
The Lawyers: The "tenacious" Bill Streff has a mixed practice, combining patent litigation and global strategic transaction work. Credited by peers as a "high-level strategic thinker," he has particular experience in representing Japanese companies in a range of industries including computer systems, telecommunications, satellites and fuel systems technology. James Amend was picked out to researchers as "a bright, practical attorney, who cuts to the chase." An IP litigator with a heavy focus on patent and trademark cases, he has tried cases in various industries, including electronics, computers, automotive, chemistry, manufacturing and packaging.
The Clients: As well as servicing the firm's institutional clients, including Motorola, Lucent Technologies, Hughes Electronics and Kraft, the team has focused in recent years on cases in the biotech and IT sectors.
New York
Ranking: 3
The Firm: The NY office of this successful national IP practice has a sound reputation for litigation, transaction, counseling and various administrative services involving all areas of IP law. Noted for attracting a substantial amount of work, the firm's litigators were recently involved in a high-profile patent infringement suit, successfully defending several cellular telephone companies against MLMC.
The Lawyers: Contemporaries concede that John Desmarais "does an excellent job for the firm" on patents, trademark and trade secrets litigation. His patent litigation caseload spans all industries, and includes representing Infineon Technologies in its landmark defense against Rambus, which resulted in a ruling that provided new guidance on the existence and scope of patent disclosure obligations. The firm also advised on a trademark infringement suit on behalf of Hermes International against a number of retail companies.
The Clients: Lucent Technologies; Hermes International; Infineon Technologies and Schering-Plough.
California
Ranking: 4
The Firm: The firm's IP practice group specializes in litigation, transactional, counseling and administrative matters involving patent, design, trademark, copyright and IT-related issues. The group's contentious expertise came in for particularly high praise; it recently represented Honeywell against Hamilton Sundstrand in a patent dispute concerning aircraft auxiliary power systems.
The Lawyers: A trial lawyer with "great personality and insight," Bob Krupka was commended to researchers as the principal reason for the firm's prominence in this sector. He specializes in patent, copyright, trademark and trade secrets litigation for clients from various industries. Highlights include representing Schering-Plough in a patent dispute connected with antihistamines.
The Clients: Pioneer Electronics is another notable client.
Reprinted with permission from Chambers & Partners: America's Leading Business Lawyers 2003-2004
