The Chicago office of global law firm K&L Gates LLP has added Carl E. Volz and George C. Summerfield as partners in the firm’s securities and transactional litigation and intellectual property litigation practices, respectively. Volz joins K&L Gates from Dechert LLP, while Summerfield arrives from Stadheim & Grear, Ltd.
Volz has extensive experience in state and federal courts representing public companies and their directors and officers in actions involving allegations of securities fraud and breaches of fiduciary duty, and in other corporate governance disputes and complex commercial litigations. He also defends clients in inquiries and actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission; other federal, state, and local regulatory agencies; the New York Stock Exchange; and NASDAQ. Additionally, Volz conducts internal investigations on behalf of boards of directors and their committees, and counsels those boards on corporate governance and litigation prevention. Volz’s clients include public and private companies and non-profit organizations, as well as their directors, officers, and committees.
With three decades of patent litigation experience, Summerfield advises on matters before the United States International Trade Commission, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and the European Patent Office. He represents a wide range of technology patent owners — including those in the computer science, materials science, life science, electrical engineering, and telecommunications sectors — with a particular focus on universities and research institutions. Summerfield has also served as first chair patent litigator in more than 100 matters and as amici counsel for numerous universities and university-related organizations in cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, he has assisted several Eastern European governments in drafting intellectual property laws through programs administered by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Information Agency.
“We are delighted to have George and Carl join the K&L Gates team,” said Michael Martinez, Administrative Partner of K&L Gates’ Chicago office. “Their trial and litigation experience in extremely complex IP and commercial and securities disputes adds tremendous depth to K&L Gates’ IP litigation and securities litigation practices and expands our client service offerings in Chicago and throughout the firm.”
The arrival of Volz and Summerfield follows the additions of five other new partners or of counsel to K&L Gates’ Chicago office in the past year, including partners Joseph Condo (energy and infrastructure), Joshua Yang (investment management), Sang-yul Lee (labor and employment), and Justin Weisberg (construction), as well as of counsel David Rieser (environmental).
Source: www.klgates.com
