Knobbe Martens partner Ben Shiroma shared reflections on his path to becoming an IP litigation partner at the firm and his approach to long-term career growth in Am Law’s “How I Made Partner” Q&A series.
Mr. Shiroma, who is based in Knobbe Martens’ Los Angeles office, was elevated to the partnership earlier this year. In his Q&A, he credited Knobbe Martens’ focus on professional development and mentorship—along with its deep bench of talent—as key reasons he chose to join the firm as an associate.
Mr. Shiroma, who strives to be “client and result-focused,” emphasized the importance of consistency and a positive attitude on the track to partnership. He noted that pairing strong legal work with reliability earned him opportunities to support senior litigators during several of the firm’s high-profile trials. He also highlighted the mentorship of several partners, who “showed [him] what it meant to be a good litigation partner and what was possible at Knobbe Martens.”
Mr. Shiroma encouraged associates who are interested in partnership to prioritize long-term professional goals over short-term prospects. “You should […] choose to invest in a firm that also invests in you,” he added, noting the early career opportunity the firm gave him to practice as a volunteer prosecutor through the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Trial Advocacy Project.
Read Mr. Shiroma’s full “How I Made Partner” Q&A here.
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