Brown Rudnick has hired a 34-lawyer IP lititgation team in the US from HSF Kramer, in a move that will see it open an office in Silicon Valley.
The team, made up of IP trial litigators and patent prosecutors, represents Brown Rudnick's biggest-ever group hire. Moving over alongside the lawyers are seven scientific advisors and around 20 business professionals, a firm spokesperson said.
The group is led by seven partners who practised together at New York-headquartered Kramer Levin before its merger with Herbert Smith Freehills in June last year.
Partners Paul Andre, Lisa Kobialka, James Hannah, Kristopher Kastens and Michael Lee have moved over in Silicon Valley, while Jonathan Caplan and Aaron Frankel have joined in New York. Kobialka will serve as a member of Brown Rudnick's management committee and co-chair of its IP litigation group, alongside current chair Ian DiBernardo.
"This team was a clear fit from the start," Brown Rudnick's CEO and chairman, Vince Guglielmotti, told GLP in an interview. "Alongside being a premier IP litigation team, this group checks off three of our five core pillars, namely litigation, technology and life sciences.
"We take a disciplined approach to growth and look for lawyers with that strong pipeline of cases and reputation, and we're excited by the cases this team has won and our ability to expand our market share in that space," Guglielmotti added.
The team's experience covers patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation, copyright infringement, unfair competition, trademark disputes and complex commercial litigation, as well as the IP aspects of corporate and transactional matters. Their clients span a range of tech-related industries, including AI, cryptography, cybersecurity, network infrastructure, life sciences, pharmacauticals and energy.
Two years ago members of the group secured a $151m verdict for cybersecurity firm Centripetal Networks in a patent infringement trial against Palo Alto Networks. Other clients have included Nasdaq-listed cybersecurity company Finjan and MRC Global, the largest distributor of fittings to the energy industry in North America.
The group represents a significant expansion of Brown Rudnick's IP litigation practice, which currently has 14 partners according to its website, including two in Los Angeles, where it opened last year after hiring four partners from California firm Stubbs Alderton & Markiles. The firm also has another California office in Orange County.
Andre, who led HSF Kramer's Silicon Valley office and co-chaired its IP practice, said Brown Rudnick "shares our team’s vision for building a globally prominent IP practice".
He added the team was attracted by Brown Rudnick’s "approach to client service – with partners who know each other", as well as the firm's experience and contacts with litigation funding, telling Reuters around half of his team's IP litigation practice involves such funding.
The team join Brown Rudnick on the back of a growth streak at the firm that saw it push revenue past $300m last year, growing 9% to reach $309m against a 17% rise in profit per equity partner (PEP) to $2.1m and 6% rise in revenue per lawyer (RPL) to $1.3m.
"If you look at our numbers, we've had five-plus years of growth on growth," Guglielmotti said. "Our gross revenue would put us in the Am Law 200, but if you look at our RPL and PEP, we're squarely within the Am Law 100. Those kind of financials are table stakes for team hires like this; you need the firepower to invest in the platform that allows lawyers to provide great services."
With the team's arrival, Brown Rudnick will have around 270 lawyers across the UK and US.
Guglielmotti said that combination of size and profitability meant the firm could offer its lawyers a "viable alternative to the mega firm".
"It's the true partnership we offer at our size that differentiates us; it means people can have a strong voice in the direction of the firm and offer almost boutique-style services to clients while doing top-level international work. And we can be nimble and get deals with funders over the line very quickly."
An HSF Kramer spokesperson said the firm was "committed to delivering a comprehensive global technology platform for our clients, spanning both disputes and transactional capabilities".
They added: "We will continue to strengthen our bench of talent in the US, including in Silicon Valley, with lawyers who complement our global technology and IP practices. Our first year as Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer has exceeded expectations, and our US growth plan is on track."
The team is one of several large group moves in the US this week, after ArentFox Schiff hired a 10-strong IP team from Reed Smith to debut in Silicon Valley, and Sidley Austin added 11 finance lawyers from Hogan Lovells Cadwalader in New York.
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