Microsoft Associate General Counsel Joins Perkins Coie

SEATTLE, Wash. (May 11, 2016) – Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that Andy Culbert has joined the firm’s Intellectual Property practice as a partner in the Seattle office.  Andy was most recently Microsoft’s Associate General Counsel for Worldwide Intellectual Property Litigation.
 
“Andy is one of the most well-known and highly-regarded IP lawyers and strategists in the world,” said Jonathan James, Co-Chair of Perkins Coie’s Intellectual Property practice.  “His breadth of experience and depth of knowledge gained from managing Microsoft’s vast and complex patent litigation docket for nearly two decades will be a great resource for our lawyers and our clients.  We are delighted to welcome this remarkable attorney to the firm.” 
 
As head of intellectual property litigation for Microsoft, Andy managed all of Microsoft's worldwide IP litigation, including hiring and supervising of outside counsel and directing strategic and tactical handling of cases.  He led several landmark patent cases—one in the United States Supreme Court that established the framework for seeking worldwide damages for infringement of U.S. patents, and one in the Ninth Circuit that established the basic methodology for valuation of standard-essential patents.  Andy also represented Microsoft in patent policy matters and led an industry coalition that advocated for improvements in IP laws.
 
“Andy is a marvelous addition to our IP practice and Perkins Coie,” said Fred Rivera, Office Managing Partner of the firm’s Seattle office.  “His knowledge of complex IP issues in the technology industry will enhance our ability to provide strategic advice to Perkins Coie’s numerous corporate and emerging growth technology clients.  We are delighted he has joined Perkins Coie.”
 
Andy will split his time between Perkins Coie and teaching intellectual property law at the University of Washington School of Law, where he has been an Affiliate Professor for many years.  
 
Andy has been actively involved in IP bar activities, including serving as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Circuit Bar Association from 2012-2015 and on the U.S./European Patent Office patent bar liaison committee.  He has also written and spoken extensively on intellectual property law and policy matters.  In January 2016, Andy was recognized by Law360 as one of the “Top 25 Icons Of IP.”  Prior to joining Microsoft, Andy was in private practice and first-chaired several intellectual property trials.  Andy earned his J.D. from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary and received his B.A. from Williams College. 
 
Perkins Coie’s IP practice includes more than 250 lawyers focused on IP litigation, patent and trademark prosecution, technology licensing, copyrights, and trade secret and unfair competition counseling. Our clients include companies in all technologies and industries around the world. The IP practice also has extensive experience litigating patent and trademark infringement actions, Internet-related disputes and gray market and anti-counterfeiting claims for companies in the software, online retail, search and electronics industries. Our clients benefit from our interdisciplinary approach to matters, which combines extensive legal and technical experience with strong corporate and litigation resources in a leading technology law firm.
 
About Perkins Coie: Founded in 1912, Perkins Coie LLP has more than 1,000 lawyers in 19 offices across the United States and Asia. The firm provides a full array of corporate, commercial litigation and intellectual property legal services to a broad range of clients, from FORTUNE 50 corporations to emerging growth startups, as well as public and not-for-profit organizations.