Company Profile
Company Overview
PATENT PRACTICE DESCRIPTION
The intellectual property practice at Morrison & Foerster LLP is one of the largest intellectual property practices of any general practice law firm. Our patent practice includes patent prosecution, advice on infringement and validity issues, due diligence for public and private financings, counseling on strategies for use and management of patent portfolios, and litigation support. In addition, we regularly assist in negotiating and documenting domestic and international patent licensing agreements.
Palo Alto Office: The Life Sciences Patent Group in the Palo Alto office focuses on the life sciences, representing a diverse group of participants in the biotechnology and medical device technology industries. Our involvement spans a broad range of subspecialties including genomics, combinatorial chemistry, protein chemistry, drug design, developmental biology, and drug delivery. The Venture Intellectual Property and Greentech practice groups, which were both formed by attorneys in this office, perform investment-side due diligence and counseling on cutting-edge technologies in rapidly expanding fields such as biofuels, solar, and other green/clean technologies. We are interested in interviewing second-year students for summer positions. Candidates for the Life Sciences Patent Group in the Palo Alto office should have degrees (preferably at the graduate level) in biophysics, biological sciences and chemical sciences (including organic, inorganic and physical chemistry). The Palo Alto office also has an Electronics, Software and Telecommunications (EST) Patent Group. Please see the San Francisco Office Patent description below.
San Francisco Office: In our San Francisco office, the patent practice is focused on biotechnology and electronics. Our involvement in biotechnology spans a broad range of subspecialties including plant molecular biology, plant breeding and genomics, medical diagnostics, vaccines, developmental biology, and drug delivery. The San Francisco office is also the primary location of the Electronics, Software and Telecommunications (EST) Patent Group. The EST Patent group works extensively in the areas of electronic devices, semiconductor fabrication, computer architecture, computer graphics, signal and image processing, software and telecommunications. We are looking for second-year students with degrees in molecular biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, physics, and engineering (chemical, computer, electrical, mechanical, and software).
Los Angeles Office: The patent practice in our Los Angeles office is focused on the areas of electronic devices, semiconductor fabrication, wireless communication technology, network and telecommunications equipment, signal and image processing, consumer electronics, medical devices, and software. Our practice includes U.S. and international patent procurement and litigation support as well as strategic counseling relating to portfolio management, patent licensing and acquisition, enforcement, opinion work, and due diligence investigations. We have a commitment to continue to grow our patent practice in Los Angeles. We are interested in candidates with engineering or science training and, in particular, persons with backgrounds in electrical engineering and software.
Northern Virginia Office: Our patent practice in Northern Virginia is largely directed to serving client needs in the various courts and agencies located in the Washington DC area, including the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the International Trade Commission, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and various local U.S. District Courts. We are interested in candidates with significant scientific credentials and, in particular, people with backgrounds in electrical engineering, computer science and software.
San Diego Office: The San Diego patent practice concentrates on a wide variety of technological areas including biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, agrobiotechnology, wireless technology, and electronics. Our practice includes U.S. and international patent procurement, litigation support as well as strategic counseling relating to portfolio management, patent licensing and acquisition, enforcement, opinion work, and due diligence investigations. We are interested in interviewing candidates who have advanced degrees in the physical, chemical or biological sciences, as well as candidates with degrees in biomedical engineering, electrical engineering (particularly wireless technology) or computer science (software).
Company History
With more than a thousand lawyers in eighteen offices around the world, Morrison & Foerster offers clients comprehensive, global legal services in business and litigation. The firm is distinguished by its unsurpassed expertise in finance, life sciences, and technology, legendary litigation skills, and an unrivaled reach across the Pacific Rim, particularly in Japan and China. We have one compelling mission: to deliver success for our clients.
Great client service requires insight, expertise, responsiveness, proactivity, and integrity. We strive to understand each client’s business, industry, and goals. We assemble the optimal team of resources from across the firm to tackle our clients’ legal challenges. When we achieve a successful IPO, trial victory, or satisfying resolution of a pro bono matter, we build lasting relationships with clients by delivering results.
The firm’s outstanding client work has achieved broad recognition. Our corporate practices are frequently cited and ranked among the "Best Practices" in their respective markets by publications such as the American Lawyer Corporate Scorecard , Mergerstat, Bloomberg, Thomson Financial League Tables and others. Our practitioners are recognized by their peers in various reference guides including the International Financial Law Review, PLC Cross-border Handbooks, Chambers Global and others. American Lawyer’s 2004 survey cited our Litigation Department as one of the top litigation practices in the country. PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbooks ranked our Intellectual Property practice the leader among law firms in the U.S. for Life Sciences.
Intellectual agility is the hallmark of Morrison & Foerster. We apply it to every matter – from the complex to the routine – to ensure the best outcomes for clients. We attract and retain the best attorneys by practicing at the highest levels of the legal profession in a culture that emphasizes collegiality, respect for everyone, professional and business ethics, and duty to the profession and our communities. Our commitment to diversity and genuine collegiality creates a work environment ideally suited to collaboration and effective teamwork. Progressive workplace policies embodying the principle of mutual respect translate into loyalty and lower turnover rates, winning results, and more stable, enduring client relationships. Others recognize the strength of our culture: we are on FORTUNE’s 2006 list of Best Companies to Work For, and American Lawyer’s 2007 "A" list, and for many years running, have been Vault survey’s #1 law firm for diversity.