Industry moves and mergers
Robert M Masters has joined Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson as a partner in the litigation department, resident in the Washington DC office. Masters routinely handles trademark and trade dress litigation, has worked on mergers and acquisitions and has represented clients in licensing negotiations.
David Postolski has been named partner at Gearhart Law. He joined the firm in 2014, with his main areas of expertise centred on software and entertainment IP law.
DLA Piper has named Frank Ryan a partner in the firm’s New York office and US co-chair of its IP and technology practice. Ryan advises US and multinational clients, with a focus on litigation, intellectual property, media and sports, and commercial matters.
Bobby Ghajar
Cooley has grown its trademark, copyright and advertising practice with the addition of Bobby Ghajar, who joins as a partner in the Los Angeles office. Ghajar specialises in advising companies in trademark, trade dress, copyright, right of publicity and false advertising litigation.
IP attorney Rafael Perez-Pineiro has joined the Miami office of McDonald Hopkins. Perez-Piñeiro advises clients on a variety of transactional matters involving intellectual property and technology, and represents clients in prosecution and proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Lindsay W Bowen
Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard has expanded its litigation, entertainment and IP practice with the hire of litigator and entertainment attorney Lindsay W Bowen, who has joined as a partner. Bowen has experience in copyright, trademark and commercial litigation and in counselling clients on entertainment, IP and new media issues.
Shontavia Johnson, professor of law, has taken over as director of Drake Law School’s IP Law Centre. The centre was launched in 2007 to promote a global inter-disciplinary understanding of IP law and policy.
Michael Strapp
DLA Piper has announced that Michael Strapp has joined its IP and technology practice as a partner in Boston. Strapp focuses his practice on litigation and licensing for technology companies.
Breton A Bocchieri has joined Robins Kaplan’s IP and technology litigation group as partner. The seasoned trial lawyer specialises in IP litigation and IP-related antitrust and commercial litigation.
The Brattle Group has announced that Andy Harington has joined its Toronto office as a principal. For the past 16 years, Harington has focused on the quantification of loss and accounting of profits in IP and commercial disputes, and the valuation of intellectual property and commercial businesses.
Spruson & Ferguson has opened an office in Bangkok, to be overseen by trademark expert Daniel Greif, who recently joined Spruson & Ferguson (Asia) as a principal.
Megan Bannigan
Megan Bannigan has been named counsel at Debevoise. Resident in the New York office, Bannigan is a member of the litigation department, focusing on trademark, copyright, false advertising, rights of publicity and related matters.
Brinks Gilson & Lione has announced the addition of five attorneys with experience in patent and trademark litigation. Evi Katsantonis handles trademark, trade dress, copyright, unfair competition, false advertising and patent claims in federal and state courts and before the International Trade Commission. Alejandro Fernandez focuses on patent, trademark, trade dress and copyright litigation. Joining them at the firm are Gregory Hillyer, Stephen Leahu and Joseph Sozzani.
Cozen O’Connor has announced that 15 lawyers from Feldman Gale will be moving to its IP department. The contingent joining the Florida office includes firm founders James Gale and Jeffrey Feldman, as well as partners Samuel Lewis, Rafael Perez-Pineiro, Susan Latham and Thomas Dye, of counsel Victor Castellucci and associates Javier Sobrado, Gene Lang, A Robert Weaver, David Stahl, Matthew Horowitz and Jonathan Gale. Partner Lawrence S Gordon makes the move to the San Francisco office; while the head of Feldman Gale’s trademark prosecution department, Ashley Kessler, joins in New York.