Cozen O’Connor Grows South Florida and West Coast Presence

MIAMI, June 2, 2016 – Cozen O’Connor, an Am Law 100 firm, and Miami-based Feldman Gale, a nationally recognized intellectual property boutique, are pleased to announce that 15 lawyers from Feldman Gale will be joining Cozen O'Connor’s Intellectual Property Department. The transaction will boost the expansion of Cozen O'Connor’s Intellectual Property Department and continue the firm’s growth in South Florida and California. The group of lawyers brings substantial intellectual property strength in areas such as patent procurement, opinion work, and patent litigation in both federal courts and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), trademark procurement and litigation, non-compete litigation, information technology law, trade secrets, copyrights and business litigation. It is anticipated that Feldman Gale’s attorneys will join Cozen O'Connor in June 2016.

The 15 lawyers will reside predominantly in Cozen O’Connor’s Miami and San Francisco offices. The lawyers joining Cozen O’Connor’s Intellectual Property Department in Florida include firm founders James Gale and Jeffrey Feldman, as well as partners Samuel Lewis, Rafael Perez-Pineiro, Susan Latham and Thomas Dye, of counsel Victor Castellucci, and associates Javier Sobrado, Dr. Gene Lang, A. Robert Weaver, David Stahl, Matthew Horowitz and Jonathan Gale. Partner Lawrence S. Gordon will be joining the San Francisco office and Feldman Gale’s current head of the Trademark Prosecution Department, Ashley Kessler, will join Cozen O’Connor’s New York office.

"The Feldman Gale firm is nationally recognized for their high stakes intellectual property litigation, trademark prosecution and patent prosecution,” said Michael J. Heller, president and chief executive officer of Cozen O’Connor. “Their practice will be a terrific addition to Cozen O’Connor and will strengthen our already nationally prominent intellectual property practice in strategic, geographic markets.”

Ranked as a top firm in U.S. News & World Report, as well as a Best Lawyers In America© Best Law Firm, Feldman Gale is an AV® Preeminent^TM rated full-service intellectual property boutique. Both Jeffrey Feldman and James Gale, as well as three other lawyers joining Cozen O’Connor, are Board Certified as Specialists in Intellectual Property Law by the Florida Bar, which is the highest level of recognition of intellectual property competency and experience in the state of Florida. James Gale and seven other lawyers joining Cozen O’Connor are registered to practice before the USPTO. These lawyers are nationally recognized for the prosecution, litigation, and clearing and licensing patents, trademarks and copyrights for various technologies across multiple industries. They have also represented and counseled Internet and computer software companies, Fortune 100, and web development companies to protect and optimize the value of their trade secrets and Internet rights.

Among Feldman Gale’s clients are St. Jude Medical, Inc., Florida Power & Light Group, NextEra Energy, Inc. and Popular, Inc. Recently, Feldman Gale was able to invalidate a patent in the USPTO in both IPR and CBM proceedings relating to claims against E-Loan, Inc.; previously, that same patent had been asserted against LendingTree, LLC and resulted in an $8.7 million judgment against that company.

“The addition of these superb lawyers from Feldman Gale is an advantage for our clients with IP issues, especially in Florida,” said Martin T. Schrier, vice chair of the Corporate Practice Group and head of Cozen O’Connor’s Miami office. “Federal Courts in Florida are recognized for their efficient case management and scheduling, which has attracted parties involved in patent disputes seeking a speedy resolution.”

“Feldman Gale lawyers have been recognized over and over for the intellectual property work they do both inside and outside of the courtroom,” said Camille M. Miller, Cozen O’Connor’s co-chair of the Intellectual Property Department. “Combining that level of knowledge and experience with our firm’s existing IP strengths will bring unprecedented benefits to our clients.” Jim Gale and Jeff Feldman will co-chair the firm’s newly formed national Intellectual Property Litigation Group within the IP Department.

The Feldman Gale lawyers are also excited to make the move. “At our previous firm, we built a reputation as an experienced, dynamic team that practices from a national platform,” said Jim Gale, co-founder of Feldman Gale. “We have successfully represented manufacturers, distributors, service providers and technology-based companies through mediation, arbitration, USPTO proceedings, trial and appeal. We have advised clients on many IP issues, including trademarks, non-compete agreements, trade secrets, patents, copyrights, e-commerce and Internet issues, entertainment, commercial litigation and medical device liability. And we are looking forward to applying our rich and respected backgrounds when we serve Cozen O’Connor’s clients.”

About Cozen O’Connor

Established in 1970 and ranked among the top 100 law firms in America, Cozen O’Connor has more than 600 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O’Connor services its clients’ needs through 24 offices across two continents.