International law firm McDermott Will & Emery LLP today announced the appointment of one of the most highly-regarded Intellectual Property litigators, Fabio Marino, as a partner in its fast-expanding Silicon Valley office.  As part of this move, Mr. Marino is bringing three additional lawyers with him to McDermott.

Mr. Marino, who joins from another AmLaw 50 firm, is a seasoned trial lawyer and technical specialist who focuses on IP matters, including patent infringement, strategy and counseling, particularly in the area of computer science. Chambers USA calls him “one of the go-to names in the business” who is admired for “his courtroom presence and impressive skills as a patent litigator.” 

Mr. Marino has in-depth technical skill in a variety of areas, including computer networks, software engineering, e-commerce, entertainment and Internet-related technologies, computer architecture, digital circuit design, parallel computing, 3-D graphics and animation, medical imaging and artificial intelligence.  

Also joining McDermott’s Silicon Valley office with Mr. Marino are:

• Of counsel Judith S.H. Hom.  Dr. Hom focuses her practice on all aspects of intellectual property with an emphasis on high technology and biotechnology patents.  In addition to her law degree, Dr. Hom has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and has worked as a scientist developing novel pharmaceuticals. She has litigated biotechnology matters involving biochemical processes, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals and their development. 
• Associate Nitin Gambhir. Mr. Gambhir’s practice focuses on patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret litigation.  A 2008 graduate of Santa Clara University School of Law, Mr. Gambhir is admitted to practice in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California and the Central District of California, as well as the Federal Circuit. 
• Associate Barrington E. Dyer.  Mr. Dyer’s practice focuses on patent litigation and intellectual property counseling.  A 2008 graduate of Boston University School of Law, his litigation experience includes patents on computer networking, semiconductor devices and digital television.

With these appointments, McDermott has brought on board six Intellectual Property lawyers in its Silicon Valley office in the past 30 days.  Earlier this month, the Firm announced the appointment of S. Michael Song, a partner who focuses his practice on IP litigation and counseling for technology companies. In February, life sciences lawyer, Dr. Bahnu Sadasivan, also joined the Firm’s Silicon Valley office as an IP litigation partner.  These important additions, which give McDermott increased technical proficiency, come amid a wave of competitor vs. competitor IP patent litigation involving many of the nation’s largest high-tech companies.

“Fabio is widely recognized as one of the nation’s premiere patent litigators and it is our great pleasure to welcome him to the Firm,” said Sarah Chapin Columbia, partner and head of the Firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Group. “Clients trust Fabio with their most sensitive, bet-the-company litigation, particularly in the areas of patent and trade secret disputes. We look forward to working with Fabio and his team to help them build their formidable practice in Silicon Valley.” 

“Fabio is someone who has the respect of all of us in Silicon Valley and we warmly welcome him as our brother in arms,” said Terrence P. McMahon, Silicon Valley-based partner and a member of McDermott’s Management and Executive Committees. “As high-tech companies in the Valley continue to defend their turf and enforce their patents, copyrights and trademarks, we have seen a sharp rise in the number of highly technical IP cases being filed in the courts.  Fabio’s group bolsters McDermott’s excellent team, ensuring that we can meet our clients’ needs with some of the world’s finest and most experienced IP litigation lawyers today.”

Before joining his prior firm, Mr. Marino was co-chair of the Intellectual Property Group at another AmLaw 50 law firm.  Prior to attending law school, Mr. Marino was a software consultant and system architect for several Fortune 100 clients. He is admitted to practice in California and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.