Having recently added a top-flight patent litigation team from Weil Gotshal in Washington D.C., the international law firm Greenberg Traurig grew both its international technology practice and its Texas platform with the addition of Weil Gotshal senior patent litigators Kevin Kudlac and Amber Lee Hagy as shareholders and attorney Rene Anthony Treviño as of counsel. Kudlac joins the firm today; Hagy and Treviño have announced they will join on December 30. The three had worked closely together and will continue to do so at Greenberg Traurig. The move comes shortly after the firm celebrated its 10th anniversary in Texas, where it maintains a strong presence in Houston, Dallas and Austin.
In a related move in early December, Greenberg Traurig expanded its patent litigation capabilities in Washington, D.C. by adding three new shareholders to its Intellectual Property & Technology Practice. The Washington, D.C. team, consisting of attorneys Mark G. Davis, Stephen K. Shahida and Ronald J. Pabis, also joined from Weil Gotshal. The additions are in keeping with the firm’s strategic focus on expanding its top tier presence in this area.
Kudlac’s practice focuses on patent disputes involving complex electrical and computer-related technology. He has handled cases involving operating system software, telecommunications software and hardware, financial transaction software, microprocessors, PC chipsets, computer memory, semiconductor processing technology, analog-to-digital converters and video software. He has also handled patent cases in other technologies, including: medical devices; food processing; and electrical appliances.
“Moving to Greenberg Traurig was a natural progression in my career – the firm’s emphasis on quality, value and trust, and its strong commitment to Texas – are all key to my practice and my clients at this time,” Kudlac said. “This was a true fit culturally and professionally.”
“Kevin, Amber and Rene are exceptional patent litigators with the right focus and backgrounds at this time and place,” said Richard A. Rosenbaum, Chief Executive Officer of Greenberg Traurig. “Austin is not only one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, but is a key state capital and is recognized as a leading center for the convergence of technology and content, where major high tech companies sit side-by-side with significant music, film and other entertainment players and the growing group of funds and other investors who finance them. These are all strategic sectors for us, and Texas is an important part of our firm’s future. These lawyers will be embraced by our entire three-office team in the state.”
Kudlac has extensive experience with litigating intellectual property matters in Asia and Europe. Prior to becoming an attorney, he was a software engineer at Schlumberger Industries. He was an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law teaching patent litigation from 2007 to 2009 and is regularly ranked as a leading lawyer for Intellectual Property in Texas by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and Best Lawyers. Specifically, he was named a “Best Lawyer” in the specialties of Copyright Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, and Patent Law for The Best Lawyers in America 2014 edition; a “Leading” Lawyer for Intellectual Property: Texas in the Chambers USA Guide, 2013; and a “Local Litigation Star” for Intellectual Property in Texas by Benchmark Litigation in 2013.
Hagy, who had been of counsel in the Austin office at Weil, previously had been senior counsel at McKool Smith, a partner at Thompson & Knight, and shareholder at Arnold, White & Durkee, all in Austin. She litigates patent disputes at both the trial and appellate levels concerning a wide variety of technologies, including electronics, semiconductors, digital telephony, and computer software. The practice focuses on motion practice, trial preparation, and briefing at all levels of litigation. Hagy received a J.D., with high honors, from the University of Texas School of Law in 1990 and had received a B.S.E.E., with honors, from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987.
Treviño, who was an associate in Weil’s Houston office, was formerly a software engineer at IBM Corporation. He received an LL.M. from the University of Houston Law Center in 2008. He had previously received a J.D., cum laude, from the Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 2005. In 1988, he received a B.A. in Computer Sciences from The University of Texas at Austin.
Kudlac is a member of the State Bars of Texas and Georgia. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Federal Circuits, the Eastern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas, and the Eastern District of Michigan. He is also registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He received a J.D. in 1991 from Georgia State University and a B.S. degree in 1987 from University of Dayton.
