Global law firm K&L Gates LLP welcomes James A. Shimota as a partner in its intellectual property litigation practice. He joins the firm from Haynes and Boone, LLP, where he served as the founding managing partner of the Chicago office.

Shimota focuses his practice on general patent litigation and abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) litigation in the pharmaceutical space, specifically. He has extensive experience appearing before judges and juries in federal courts, the United States International Trade Commission, and arbitration panels. He represents clients across a spectrum of industries such as automotive technology, solid state lighting, consumer electronics, networking and communications equipment, power supplies, medical devices, and various other consumer products manufacturers. Shimota also counsels his clients of all sizes on the strategies for optimal use of portfolios including acquisitions, organic growth, and infusions of venture capital.

“We’re excited to welcome Jim to the firm,” said Michael E. Martinez, managing partner of K&L Gates’ Chicago office. “His experience as a first-chair IP litigator will provide a significant benefit to our clients here in Chicago and across our platform.”

K&L Gates’ intellectual property litigation and prosecution practices serve clients around the world, protecting critical fundamental client assets, iconic brands, and proprietary information, as well as emerging technologies such as novel drug therapies and cloud services. With litigators on four continents devoted to patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret litigation, the group handles every scale of dispute, from large, complex multi-jurisdiction matters and bet-your-company confrontations between industry leaders, to litigation involving non-practicing entities, to modest license dispute and piracy matters.

Robert Barrett, a Chicago-based partner and leader of K&L Gates’ global intellectual property practice area, commented: “Given our burgeoning patent litigation workflow, Jim is the perfect addition to what is already one of the largest and most innovative global IP groups in any integrated law firm.”