Wilson Sonsini Expands Patent Practice

PALO ALTO, CA (March 27, 2013) – Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, today announced that it has significantly expanded its patent litigation practice by hiring a team of IP litigators in Los Angeles and Palo Alto headed by nationally recognized trial lawyer Edward Poplawski. The five partners all join the firm from Sidley Austin; the majority will be based in the firm’s new Los Angeles office, which will open in early April.

“We are very pleased and proud to welcome Ed and his fellow partners to the firm,” said Chairman Larry Sonsini. “They are attorneys of outstanding caliber and will mesh extremely well with our existing top-tier IP practice, which is a field of critical importance to our clients. In addition, we are excited about establishing an office in Los Angeles, a move that the firm has been considering for quite some time, as it will allow us to better serve local clients and offers many opportunities for growth.”

“Ed and his team bring a wealth of specialized expertise and accomplishments to the firm, including a record of success in a number of high-profile, bet-the-company IP cases,” said Doug Clark, co-managing partner. “Their extensive trial experience, deep knowledge of many technology and life sciences industry sectors, and familiarity with all aspects of IP litigation and counseling make them invaluable assets for the firm and our clients.”

“You cannot be in the technology industry and not be aware of WSGR’s immense presence in the field,” said Ed Poplawski. “We were highly impressed by the firm and its IP practice and are confident that it will be an exceptionally strong platform for us. We look forward to working closely with our new colleagues and further building one of the nation’s foremost patent litigation practices.”

Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Poplawski was a member of Sidley’s Executive Committee and head of its West Coast IP practice, as well as a global co-chair of that firm’s IP litigation practice. A renowned first-chair trial lawyer, Poplawski received the prestigious California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year (CLAY) Award for his trial work, notably winning a $184.1 million jury award for Cornell University. He has successfully litigated a wide spectrum of technology and life sciences patent cases for marquee clients such as Atmel, Deutsche Bank, eBay/PayPal, First Data, Genentech, Hewlett-Packard, IGT, Intuit, LSI, McAfee, and Samsung. Poplawski earned his J.D. from the Villanova University School of Law in 1983, and holds a master’s degree and a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel University.

In addition to Poplawski, the new partners include:

Vera Elson, who has substantial trial experience in federal district courts across the country and before the ITC relating to matters such as patents, trade secrets, and copyright claims. She also regularly provides strategic IP counseling for technology clients. Prior to joining Sidley, Elson was a partner at McDermott Will & Emery and, earlier, at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Before practicing law, she worked as an electrical engineer at Hughes Aircraft’s Advanced Circuit Technology Labs. Elson received her J.D. from USC’s Gould School of Law in 1991, an M.S. in engineering from UCLA in 1985, and a B.S. in cybernetics from UCLA in 1982. A former partner in Sidley’s Silicon Valley office, she will be based in WSGR’s Palo Alto office.

Paul Tripodi II, who joined Sidley with Poplawski in 2000 and whose practice focuses on complex patent litigation and trade secret misappropriation spanning a broad range of technologies, including smartphones, wireless navigation, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, integrated circuits, data transmission, and video games. He has been involved in both bench and jury trials, as well as proceedings before international tribunals and the International Trade Commission. Tripodi received his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law in 1992, an M.S. in chemical physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1989, and a B.S. in chemistry from Pennsylvania State University in 1987.

Olivia Kim, who specializes in complex patent infringement litigation in areas such as biometric sensors, biotechnology, computer processor architecture, graphical user interfaces, Internet payment systems, mobile phones, network security, pharmaceuticals, and plasma display panels. Experienced in all stages of litigation, Kim has participated in a significant number of jury and bench trials. Before becoming an attorney, she was a researcher at UCLA’s immunology and physiology labs. Fluent in Korean, Kim received a J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in 2003 and a B.S. in biochemistry from UCLA in 1998.

Sandra Fujiyama, who focuses her practice on IP litigation for clients in industries ranging from biotechnology to electronics, with a particular emphasis on patent litigation. An experienced trial lawyer, she also has expertise in general IP counseling, prosecuting patent and trademark applications, performing trademark registerability analyses, and conducting IP due diligence. She earned her J.D. from the UCLA School of Law in 1998 and a B.S. in biochemistry from UCLA in 1995.

The new Los Angeles office will be the firm’s 14^th location. The city is a natural fit for the firm, with a thriving and entrepreneurial business community, a diverse range of technology and life sciences companies, an extensive network of venture capital and institutional investors, and substantial global reach.

Please visit www.wsgr.com for complete attorney bios and more information on the firm’s Los Angeles office.

About the WSGR IP Litigation Practice

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s IP attorneys litigate cases in federal and state courts throughout the United States, including judicial districts with patent-intensive dockets, such as the Eastern District of Texas and the Northern District of California. The firm also regularly handles IP matters before administrative tribunals such as the International Trade Commission and the Federal Trade Commission. Our attorneys enforce and defend all types of sophisticated IP litigation matters, and advise clients on other legal concerns of importance to technology and life sciences companies, such as patent, trade secret, copyright, and trademark issues; strategies for patent enforcement campaigns; unfair-competition and antitrust issues related to patent enforcement; essential patents and issues related to standards bodies; IP crisis management; strategic IP counseling, due diligence, and audits; and international issues arising from legal systems in Asia and the European Union.

About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

For more than 50 years, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has offered a broad range of services and legal disciplines focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leader in the fields of corporate governance and finance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, securities litigation, employment law, intellectual property, and antitrust, among many other areas of law. With deep roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has offices in Austin; Beijing; Brussels; Georgetown, DE; Hong Kong; New York; Palo Alto; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Shanghai; Washington, D.C.; and now Los Angeles. For more information, please visit www.wsgr.com.