Timothy R. Shannon and Seth S. Coburn have joined Duane Morris LLP as partners in the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group in its Boston office. Prior to joining Duane Morris, Coburn and Shannon were partners at Verrill Dana LLP.

“Our high-performing Intellectual Property Practice Group has a global scope, which is significantly enhanced by Tim and Seth,” said Duane Morris Chairman and CEO Matt Taylor. “They are terrific additions to the firm and represent the type of marquee talent we are looking for as we continue to execute on our strategic growth plans.”

“Tim and Seth add to the already deep bench of talent we have within our practice group, and I am delighted that they selected Duane Morris for this next phase of their careers,” said Woody Jameson, chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. “They bring to Duane Morris extensive experience in patent litigation matters, which will be a value-add to existing clients of the firm. Similarly, they represent a number of clients whose technology offerings align with the strength of our group’s subject matter knowledge and experience. We look forward to supporting Tim and Seth with their clients.”

“Our new colleagues add depth and experience to our strong patent litigation group in Boston,” added Michael R. Gottfried, managing partner of Duane Morris’ Boston office. “While their practices are global and national in scope, they both are very engaged in our region, and we welcome to opportunity to collaborate with them.”

“I am excited to join Duane Morris and utilize the firm’s global platform to expand my practice, while working with my new colleagues to capitalize on our shared knowledge and experience to better serve our collective client base,” noted Shannon. “I’ve been in the trenches with this team on shared matters and have watched them perform; I’m honored to join them.”

“I was particularly impressed by the depth of the firm’s litigation team as well as its patent team. Along with the opportunity to collaborate with my new colleagues, I appreciate the clarity of the firm’s strategic growth vision and look forward to contributing to it,” added Coburn.

Timothy R. Shannon maintains a national patent litigation practice in a variety of high-tech fields. His practice involves extensive work in the software, electronics, LED lighting, computer chip manufacturing and medical device fields. Shannon’s complaint-to-trial experience includes sophisticated patent matters in courts across the country, from Massachusetts to Texas. Recent highlights include: first-chair leadership of a life sciences (human mesenchymal stem cells) patent inventorship trial in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts; a patent enforcement action involving LED lighting technology in the District of New Jersey; a patent dispute concerning genetically modified mice (Alzheimer’s model) in the Middle District of Florida; representation of a Shanghai-based computer chip manufacturer through Markman and settlement in a patent troll case in the Eastern District of Texas; representation of a North Carolina-based integrated development environment software manufacturer in a patent troll case in the Eastern District of Texas; and representation of a Toronto-based life sciences company specializing in plant-based manufacturing/gene expression of human monoclonal antibodies. He also has experience in PTAB proceedings and the International Trade Commission.

Shannon is a graduate of Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude, 2002), Oxford University (M. St., 1997) and Yale University (B.S., 1994).

Seth S. Coburn represents clients in complex intellectual property disputes across all stages of litigation and in a range of industries and technologies, such as solid-state (i.e., LED) lighting, telecommunications, software, electronic health records, robotics, Internet of Things devices and GPS-enabled consumer goods. He handles disputes from early assessment, dispositive motions, Markman hearings, trial and through appeal. Coburn also has extensive experience defending companies against patent trolls. He is experienced in organizing and leading joint-defense groups in coordinating litigation strategy against some of the largest and sophisticated patent trolls. In addition to his federal court experience, Coburn also has experience in post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He has represented both patent challengers as well as patent owners and has secured favorable resolutions as a result of the proceedings. Coburn also has experience in Section 337 investigations before the International Trade Commission. He provides clients with strategic pre-litigation counsel to manage risk and develop business strategies in crowded intellectual property environments. Coburn helps clients identify key threats and develop creative and effective strategies for managing external risk. He also helps develop strategies for protecting key intellectual property assets for intellectual property owners. In addition to his patent work, Coburn also has experience representing clients with trademark and copyright disputes in industries such as hospitality, consumer goods, software and financial services. His experience includes both federal court litigation as well as administrative actions before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Coburn is a graduate of Boston College Law School (J.D., cum laude, 2011) and Hamilton College (B.A., magna cum laude, 2006).