Morgan Lewis Snags 7-Partner IP Team From McDermott

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Top row, left to right: Brent Hawkins, Shon Lo, Hersh Mehta and Natalie Bennett. Bottom row, left to right: Kevin Shortlse, Jeff Gargano and Krista Vink Venegas.[/caption] Morgan Lewis & Bockius is kicking off an IP hiring spree, adding a contingent of partners in Chicago and another pair split between the coasts. To start, seven intellectual property partners from McDermott Will & Emery are making the jump to Morgan Lewis. Jeffrey Gargano, Krista Vink Venegas, Shon Lo, Hersh Mehta and Kevin Shortsle will all be resident in the firm’s Chicago office. Natalie Bennett will be based in Washington, D.C., and Brent Hawkins will be in the firm's San Francisco and Silicon Valley locations. They are likely to be followed by more lawyers from McDermott, and possibly other personnel, making for a group of at least 12 to 14 attorneys, said Eric Kraeutler, global leader of Morgan Lewis' IP practice. Additionally, he said, "We intend to grow in other aspects of our IP practice very soon." The lawyers from McDermott have worked with some Morgan Lewis partners in the past, through other cases. They have some shared clients with Morgan Lewis, Kraeutler said, as well as a number of new clients they are bringing to the firm. Their focus is on the life sciences—a major area of interest for Morgan Lewis, Kraeutler said— and the tech industry, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies. Among clients the group has represented, according to federal court records, are Taro Pharmaceutical Industries, Tolmar Inc., Bestway Inc., ZTE Inc. and Yahoo Holdings. The lawyers also represent Chinese clients, some of which are existing Morgan Lewis clients, managing partner Steve Wall said. "It is completely consistent with our philosophy of looking for those areas where our corporate clients need a high level expertise across multiple jurisdictions," Wall said. Kraeutler said the new partners and the expected upcoming additions to the practice will place Morgan Lewis "at the very top in terms of the size of the IP group for full-service law firms." "It reinforces some of the areas that are most important to us. It brings us people who are experienced litigators and also experienced trial lawyers. It’s really going to enhance our ability to try cases as well as litigate cases," Kraeutler said. The IP practice tried 10 cases last year, he said, and having trial-ready teams is important to the firm. Wall said Morgan Lewis' Chicago office has grown by more than 70 percent since early 2016. That includes the addition of six tax partners in the past year, and a four-partner IP team from K&L Gates in February 2016. "The growth in Chicago is a clear part of our strategy. We want to be a very significant provider of legal services in the Midwest, and Chicago is the place for us to do that," Wall said. "To be able to take a group like this from a heavily dominant Chicago firm like McDermott is a significant opportunity for us to continue our growth in Chicago." McDermott has also added to its IP capabilities in Chicago recently, bringing on partner Christina Martini earlier this month. She had practiced at DLA Piper for nearly 25 years, and chaired the Chicago IP practice there. In a statement about the departures, McDermott IP practice leader Nicole Jantzi said, "We are taking our practice in a new direction. We wish our former colleagues well, but remain laser-focused on building a team of rock stars who can exceed client expectations."