Ned Israelsen, managing partner in San Diego, and Joseph Reisman, partner, with Knobbe Martens, the top-ranked intellectual property law firm in the West, were both named top intellectual property lawyers in San Diego based on a recent survey of their peers. The list of San Diego County’s Top Attorneys for 2007 is the culmination of a voting process in which San Diego County lawyers were asked to nominate peers who they felt were worthy of the recognition based on professional experience. The nominations were tabulated by The Daily Transcript, San Diego’s local business newspaper founded more than 100 years ago, to select the top 25 attorneys as semi-finalists for each category, including Corporate/Business, Municipal/Government, Real Estate/Construction, Labor/Employment, Criminal and Intellectual Property law. The top 25 semi-finalists in each category then cast votes for the top 10 attorneys in their practice, thus selecting the finalists for each category.
“It is an incredible honor to have been selected by my peers,” said Israelsen of his recent recognition. With more than two decades of experience with the firm, Israelsen focuses his practice primarily on advising startup companies and established businesses in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical areas, including worldwide patent protection strategies, avoidance of third party intellectual property, portfolio building, due diligence, intellectual property opinions, and licensing. His clients include venture-financed startup companies, newly-public companies, major biopharmaceutical companies, not-for-profit institutions and educational institutions, and governmental research organizations. Prior to joining the firm, Israelsen served as a law clerk and technical advisor to the Honorable Jack R. Miller of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which has jurisdiction over all patent appeals in the U.S.
“I am extremely honored to have been selected by fellow attorneys for such a prestigious award,” said Reisman. During his time with the firm, Reisman, who has been with the firm since 1998, has concentrated his practice on clients in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. He advises clients in all aspects of patent prosecution, strategic counseling, and patent litigation, including appellate practice. Recently, in the coordinated patent litigations regarding Sanofi-Aventis’ antihistamine Allegra®, he obtained, and upheld on appeal, the denial of a preliminary injunction. Also, as appellate counsel, he helped invalidate a patent related to Pfizer’s cholesterol-reducing drug Lipitor®. Reisman frequently speaks and writes on intellectual property-related matters and is an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Law. Reisman received his B.S. in Chemistry from Yale University. He went on to earn his M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego. Reisman was also awarded “La Bourse Chateaubriand” by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French Embassy to the United States, which allowed him to continue his doctoral research at the Université de Montpellier in France. Reisman then attended the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) and received his law degree in 1996. Prior to joining the firm, Reisman served as a law clerk to the Honorable Alan D. Lourie of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which has jurisdiction over all patent appeals in the U.S.
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP represents clients in all areas of intellectual property law, including transactional and litigation practices. Clients include public and private companies at various stages of growth, from start-up to the Fortune 500 worldwide. The firm has been recognized in international surveys for excellence in all aspects of intellectual property law. In 2007, the firm was ranked #1 for growth in patent litigation and in the top 10 for number of patent litigation cases in a nationwide survey conducted by IP Law 360. In addition, several members of the firm have been voted among the world’s leading intellectual property lawyers.
