Today, the Knobbe Martens family comes together to mourn the passing of our founding partner, Louis Knobbe. Throughout his life, Louis touched the lives of countless individuals and left an indelible impact on the Orange County community and the intellectual property field.
After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Iowa State University in 1953, Louis went on to work as an engineer at Bell Telephone Laboratories, General Electric and North American Aviation. After earning his law degree from Loyola University in Los Angeles in 1959, Louis worked in a patent law position at Beckman Instruments.
In 1962, Louis co-founded the firm that would become Knobbe Martens. This decision to take the bold step of founding an intellectual property law firm in Orange County would have a profound impact on generations of Knobbe Martens attorneys, scientists and staff who benefitted from his sage advice, thoughtful mentorship and visionary leadership.
Throughout his career, Louis was a zealous and passionate advocate for his clients, his colleagues and peers, and for the Orange County community he called home. A firm believer in the promise and future of Orange County, Louis served on the boards and in leadership roles of countless business, civic and philanthropic organizations across the county. Louis’s enthusiasm for his work, efforts to build a strong and unique firm culture, and love for and commitment to Orange County were all crucial in providing the solid foundation for Knobbe Martens to grow into the firm it is today.
The entire Knobbe Martens community extends our deepest condolences to Louis’s family. And while we mourn the passing of our founder, mentor and friend, we celebrate his life and the tremendous contributions he made to our firm and our community.