Holland & Knight has opened an office in Huntsville, Alabama, citing the city's growing significance as a major hub for defence, aerospace and technology.
The office will be led by partner Ryan Letson, who joined Holland & Knight earlier this year having been chair of the IP practice at Southeastern firm Bradley Arant Boult Cummings. The founding team will also include associate Andrew Tuggle, who focuses on export controls, foreign investment and government contracting.
Huntsville will be Holland & Knight's 36th office and second in Alabama after Birmingham. The city is among the fastest-growing in the US, with federal and private investment fuelling its development from a defence-dependent company town into a centre for diversified tech and advanced manufacturing.
Last year, Eli Lilly announced plans to build a $6bn pharmaceutical manufacturing site in Huntsville, while US Space Command is relocating its headquarters there from Colorado.
“As a hub for defence, aerospace and technology companies, Huntsville has become a key destination for our clients and an area of growing significance in the national security space,” said Holland & Knight's national security and defense industry sector chair, Jason Klitenic. “Both Ryan and Andrew have extremely valuable experience in the national security and defence sectors and have quickly become integral members of our client teams.”
Letson's practice covers the spectrum of IP law, including federal IP litigation, Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceedings, tech transactions, licensing and M&A due diligence. His clients span the defence, aerospace, technology, manufacturing and university sectors.
Before his legal career, he worked within the Department of Homeland Security’s Secure Borders Initiative programme at Boeing and currently serves on a number of committees in Huntsville, including as a member of the Huntsville Bar Association executive committee.
Holland & Knight chair Bob Grammig said: "Alabama continues to be an important growth market for the firm and Ryan’s depth of national security and defence experience, combined with his ties to the Huntsville business and legal communities, make him the ideal leader for our new office.
"Building on the firm’s focus on the sectors core to Huntsville’s economy and the resources of our global platform, we're significantly increasing our capabilities to serve clients operating in, and expanding to, Huntsville.”
The firm's move to Huntsville follows Dentons moving into the city in 2021 through a merger with prominent Alabama law firm Sirote & Permutt, while Womble Bond Dickinson opened there the next year after hiring a trio of government contract lawyers from Wilmer & Lee. Butler Snow launched in Huntsville in 2023 with a team of more than 20 lawyers recruited from Maynard Cooper & Gale.
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