Bruce B. Kelson and Agatha H. Liu, Ph.D., have joined Duane Morris LLP as partners in the firm’s Trial and Intellectual Property practice groups, respectively, in its Silicon Valley office. Prior to joining Duane Morris, Kelson was partner at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, where he served as chair of that firm’s Securities Litigation Practice Group. Liu was a partner at Hickman Becker Bingham Ledesma LLP.

“Bruce is a top-notch litigator and Dr. Liu is a very skilled IP practitioner with substantial experience, a passion for technology and remarkable technical expertise. Both have a deep knowledge of the Silicon Valley and San Francisco business environments, and we are honored that they have chosen to grow their practices at Duane Morris. They will be a tremendous addition,” said Duane Morris Chairman and CEO Matthew A. Taylor. “After a productive 2022, we will continue our growth trajectory into 2023, which we expect will be a very strong year for Duane Morris in California. We foresee more great news and ongoing growth for Duane Morris in Silicon Valley and San Francisco.”

“We’ve been in the Bay Area for 25 years and our clients certainly enjoy a deep bench here. But lawyers like Bruce Kelson and  Dr. Agatha Liu don’t come around very often, and their practices will thrive at Duane Morris,” said Stephen H. Sutro, managing partner of the firm’s Silicon Valley and San Francisco offices.

“With Bruce’s arrival, we build on our already strong trial presence in California while augmenting our solid East Coast securities litigation capabilities with a notable West Coast presence. Agatha is a real game-changer; she holds a Ph.D. in computer science and engineering and has a significant research background in artificial intelligence and computational biology, all of which will provide great benefit to our clients with computer science needs, but in particular for life sciences and research university clients building emerging technologies in bioinformatics,” Sutro added.

In the last three months, the firm more than tripled its headcount in Silicon Valley. With the additions of Kelson and Liu, the firm has added a total of five new lawyers to its Bay Area offices in 2023. The firm expects more additions to be announced in San Francisco in the next several months. “We offer a very attractive platform for laterals,” Sutro concluded.

Kelson focuses his practice on securities litigation and other complex commercial litigation for U.S. and foreign clients. He represents clients in SEC, FINRA and other regulatory agency investigations and enforcement proceedings, internal investigations, securities class action and shareholder derivative litigation, M&A transaction-related issues and litigation, director and officer liability and corporate governance issues and litigation, antitrust and unfair competition litigation and other commercial litigation. Kelson has extensive experience in federal and state courts and arbitral forums in California, New York, Delaware and other states. His clients span a range of industries including financial services, real estate, venture capital, software and technology, among others.

“The global Duane Morris platform will be beneficial to both my clients and my practice,” said Kelson. “I was incredibly impressed by the strategic focus of the firm and its commitment to California. I am very excited to be part of it.”

Kelson is a graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School (J.D., 1993) and Dartmouth College (A.B., cum laude, 1987).

Liu concentrates her practice on IP analysis, portfolio management and strategic counseling. She routinely advises investors, business owners and inventors on all areas of IP related to computer technology. Liu also speaks and writes extensively on different IP topics, such as eligibility for IP protection, IP protection for emerging technology and global IP protection. Prior to entering the legal profession, Liu held positions in technology and management consulting. She has a significant research background in artificial intelligence as applied to internet communications, database system management, computational biology and speech recognition.

“This was an incredible opportunity for my clients,” said Liu. “The depth and breadth of the resources of Duane Morris and its already significant patent group, and their growth-oriented and strategic focus, are significant draws. I am excited to be part of the firm’s continued growth in the heart of the technology world.”

Liu is a graduate of Fordham University (J.D., 2010), received her B.S. in computer science from Columbia University, a master’s in computer science from Cornell University and her doctorate in computer science and engineering from the University of Washington. Her doctorate concentrated on artificial intelligence and her dissertation was in computational biology.