Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP is pleased to announce that Thomas Arno and Michael Fuller have been named co-managing partners of the firm’s San Diego office. They succeed Ned Israelsen, who led the 60-attorney office for 20 years.
Tom Arno has been with the firm in San Diego for over 20 years, and his practice focuses on U.S. and foreign patent-related matters, technology licensing and client counseling in connection with intellectual property strategies. He has experience in patent protection for a variety of industries, including analog and digital electronics, computer hardware and software, communications, and drug discovery technologies.
Mike Fuller has been in the firm’s San Diego office for nearly 25 years and oversees IP matters in a number of areas, including patent prosecution, licensing, intellectual property due diligence and related negotiations for mergers and acquisitions. Mike also oversees many types of contentious matters at the USPTO, including inter partes reviews (IPRs), ex parte patent re-examinations and interferences. He was named to the 2015 Southern California Super Lawyer list for his work in intellectual property law and was also named as one of the Daily Journal’s Top Intellectual Property Attorneys of 2014.
“It has been an honor to lead the San Diego office for the last 20 years,” said Israelsen. “When I started in this office we had about 5 lawyers; now we have over 10 times that many. We owe much of our success to San Diego’s vibrant innovation economy and to the excellent service that our professionals provide in all areas of intellectual property law. I have no doubt Tom and Mike will continue our legacy of success and build on our reputation as the region’s preeminent IP law firm.”
The firm’s San Diego office was opened in 1984, and has expanded to now include 60 lawyers and nine scientists and engineers, all of whom hold technical degrees. While the office includes the largest biotech patent practice in San Diego, it is also the dominant IP practice in all technical areas, including electronics, telecommunications, software, and medical devices. Of the top 10 IP firms in town, Knobbe Martens obtains 40% of the patents issued to local inventors, almost 4 times as many as its nearest competitor. San Diego-based attorneys provide full service for the firm’s clients in all areas of intellectual property law, including litigation, patents and trademarks, licensing, venture capital due diligence and related client counseling.
About Knobbe Martens
Consistently ranked among the top intellectual property firms in the nation and worldwide, Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear, LLP has over 300 lawyers and scientists nationwide and dedicates its practice to all aspects of intellectual property law, including litigation. Knobbe Martens serves a diverse group of clients from multinational corporations to emerging businesses of all stages. The firm is headquartered in Orange County, California, with offices in San Diego, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C., and enjoys an international reputation for excellence. More information about the firm can be found at www.knobbe.com.
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