Silicon Valley

Duane Morris established its office in Palo Alto a decade ago to provide more efficient and direct service to clients throughout Silicon Valley and enhance its capabilities in California and nationally. A global high-technology hub and home to many of the world's most successful and innovative companies, Silicon Valley is a natural fit for Duane Morris' strengths in IP litigation, patent, trademark and trade secret, as well as IP transactional, patent and trademark prosecution, inter partes review, licensing and due diligence. Duane Morris attorneys from its five California offices, and elsewhere throughout the world, work extensively with high-tech clients and bring a broad base of experience and relationships with businesses and professionals in the valley.

Range of Services

Intellectual Property and IP Litigation

Duane Morris' intellectual property (IP) lawyers recognize the importance of clients' intellectual capital to the success of their businesses and understand how to uphold IP rights to increase opportunities for clients to enhance market share. Members of the firm's IP practice have played pivotal roles in the development of IP law and their ranks include highly trained patent attorneys with backgrounds in biosciences, materials, chemicals, polymers, electronics and telecommunications. Their experience includes trademarks and copyrights, patents, portfolio management, licensing agreements and brand protection, domestic and international.

Duane Morris lawyers have substantial experience across the U.S. in all areas of IP litigation, including jury trial experience on behalf of IP owners and accused infringers in patent, trademark, trade dress, copyright and trade secret cases. The firm's IP attorneys have also represented clients in mediation, arbitration, inter partes proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and before appellate courts concerning IP matters.

Information Technology and Telecommunications

Duane Morris has assembled a dedicated group of attorneys possessing specific industry knowledge and interdisciplinary skills to address the transactional, finance, regulatory and dispute resolution aspects of structuring and implementing a wide range of information technologies and telecommunications projects. Members of the Information Technologies and Telecom Practice Group in California have distinguished themselves in landmark cases and are relied upon by the media to shed light on technology-related legal issues.

Complex Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution

Lawyers in the Trial Practice Group represent clients in all types of complex litigation from inception through trial and appeal, including matters involving communications, e-commerce, information security, consumer class actions, environmental law, healthcare, insurance coverage, products liability and unfair business practices. Duane Morris attorneys have represented technology companies and manufacturers in litigation regarding alleged patent and trademark infringement, theft of trade secrets and proprietary information and countless other issues. The firm's litigators also represent clients in grand jury, SEC and other investigations relating to securities fraud, tax offenses, and trade and antitrust violations. In addition to representing clients in U.S. forums and before international tribunals, Duane Morris attorneys provide counsel on settling disputes by using alternative dispute resolution options, and they advise on methods to anticipate and avoid litigation.

White-Collar Criminal Litigation

Duane Morris counsels both individuals and corporations facing federal and state allegations of criminal conduct. The firm's lawyers advise clients accused of Medicare/Medicaid fraud and abuse, environmental crimes, securities violations, criminal tax fraud, fraud in government procurement, RICO violations, trade espionage and a variety of business-related offenses. Duane Morris attorneys also have extensive experience leading internal investigations.

Corporate, Securities, Mergers and Acquisitions

Our corporate law attorneys advise early-stage and mature companies on a wide variety of corporate and securities matters. Members of our Corporate Practice Group are experienced with mergers and acquisitions, including negotiated acquisitions and divestitures, hostile acquisitions and defense against takeover attempts. Our lawyers regularly represent international clients in both domestic and transnational transactions. They are experienced with venture capital and private equity transactions and work with our entrepreneurial clients in developing and implementing creative strategies to accomplish their corporate finance and acquisition objectives. We also represent clients in a range of securities offerings and advise public companies on compliance with ongoing reporting obligations and other securities laws.

Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration

Duane Morris' lawyers provide counsel to employers of all sizes in a broad spectrum of labor, benefits and immigration matters. We have extensive experience with state and federal statutory compliance, employment termination issues and litigation including defending against claims asserted for race, sex, age and disability discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful discharge and breach of express and implied employment contracts. We assist employers in protecting their proprietary information and in enforcing noncompetition and nonsolicitation agreements. We provide a full range of labor relations services, including proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, negotiations of labor contracts and disputes over labor contract provisions, and representing clients in union-organizing campaigns. Our lawyers emphasize policies to prevent employment problems through our problem prevention programs and services, including seminars and workshops, customized training programs and employment practice audits.

Duane Morris immigration attorneys serve a diverse group of clients, including multinational corporations, small professional businesses, financial institutions, embassies and individuals. The attorneys have a comprehensive knowledge of the legal, political and business context in which immigration concerns arise. The immigration attorneys not only have a thorough understanding of immigration law, but also understand the bureaucratic intricacies that frequently arise when dealing with decision makers at the Departments of Homeland Security, State, Commerce and Labor.

Business Reorganization and Financial Restructuring

Lawyers in the Business Reorganization and Financial Restructuring Practice Group work in tandem with each client, whether debtor, committee, trustee, lender, special servicer of securitized commercial mortgages, landlord, asset purchaser, court appointed receiver, vendor or other interested party, to determine appropriate strategies for deriving maximum value from a troubled entity, while simultaneously remaining mindful of each client's goals in a wide variety of bankruptcy cases and out of court workouts and restructurings. Clients draw on the firm's extensive reorganization experience as one of the most active bankruptcy practices in the United States with a national team of dozens of bankruptcy lawyers in numerous jurisdictions.

For More Information

For more information, please contact Brian L. Johnsrud or any of the lawyers referenced in the Attorney Listing.