Greenlee Sullivan P.C.’s attorneys will join Lathrop & Gage LLP on Jan. 1, 2013, the two firms announced today. The combination creates one of Colorado’s largest intellectual property practices and continues Lathrop & Gage’s aggressive national growth in biotechnology and life sciences.
Greenlee Sullivan, now celebrating its 25th year, provides IP prosecution, strategic analysis, due diligence and transaction counsel to a wide variety of high-tech clients, including start-ups, leading research universities and Fortune 500 corporations. The firm has developed IP strategies and secured patents for numerous innovations in chemistry, biotechnology, physics and materials science, in addition to multi-disciplinary technologies.
Joining Lathrop & Gage are partners Sally Sullivan, Stephen Barone, Steven Penner, Susan Doughty and Gary Chapman, as well as two associates, three patent agents and support staff. They will move into Lathrop & Gage’s Boulder office, led by Curtis Vock and located at 4845 East Pearl Circle.
The addition of the new attorneys and patent agents brings the total number of professionals in the Lathrop & Gage IP practice to 88, with 34 practicing in the firm’s two Colorado offices. After the combination, Lathrop & Gage will have one of the three largest IP practices in the state, and would be ranked No. 12 among Colorado law firms by attorney count.
Adding the Greenlee Sullivan team – with doctorate degrees in chemistry, microbiology, immunology and biophysics – further bolsters Lathrop & Gage’s life sciences practice. In January 2011, the firm opened a Boston office, focused on biotechnology and life sciences. It has grown from three to 11 attorneys, and in the past year has attracted lateral partners from the AmLaw 100 and global healthcare leader Abbott Laboratories. The Greenlee Sullivan team will work extensively with the Boston office to expand the firm’s life sciences footprint nationwide, and Lathrop & Gage’s robust litigation practice can support its clients if IP conflicts escalate.
Lathrop & Gage’s IP practice has received recognition in rankings such as Chambers USA and has been named among the most active trademark groups by CSC Trademark Insider. In addition, members of the practice have been named in Best Lawyers in America, the BTI Client Service All-Star Team and among the “World’s Leading Trademark Practitioners” by Managing Intellectual Property magazine.
Bill Rudy, Chairman of the IP Division at Lathrop & Gage:
· “Lathrop & Gage opened a Boulder office in 2000 to attract top IP talent. The addition of Greenlee Sullivan, a firm we’ve long admired, continues that dedication to offering our clients the best technical minds along with savvy legal counsel.”
· “Greenlee Sullivan’s experience in biotechnology will serve as a strong complement to our growing Boston office – we can offer our clients a true ‘dream team’ in life sciences law.”
Steven Penner, Partner at Greenlee Sullivan:
· “We’re excited to leverage the advantages we have in life sciences, chemistry and other fields – our science backgrounds, our technical and industry experience – with the great strengths and resources available with a national firm like Lathrop & Gage.”
· “We’re excited to join Lathrop & Gage – we believe there’s a shared deep commitment to high quality service and great value for clients. In Greenlee Sullivan’s 25th anniversary year, we’re pleased that our future will align with a firm that has been providing superb client service for almost 140 years.”
Giulio DeConti, managing partner of Lathrop & Gage’s Boston office and leader of the life sciences practice group:
· “The addition of Greenlee Sullivan, one of the most prominent life sciences IP groups in the nation, gives our clients access to exceptional capability and capacity.”
· “We have the critical mass and depth of experience to handle all aspects of the life sciences industry. We have expertise not only in building exceptional IP estates for our life science clients, but also in assisting them in advancing their products from concept to commercialization and protecting them through litigation, arbitration and licensing.”
· “Linking Boston and Boulder – two of our nation’s leading tech centers – gives Lathrop & Gage a significant competitive advantage in meeting the needs of our clients, ranging from the largest international pharma companies to the youngest biotech startups.”
