Novak Druce Continues California Expansion

Building upon its existing three California offices in San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, Novak Druce will enter Orange County on March 1. The new Orange County office will bring to 11 the number of Novak Druce offices across the country, with California having the highest concentration.

“Overall, we have been experiencing an increased demand from clients involving strategic prosecution of large portfolios that are core to the client’s business, along with litigation and corporate work. While this demand has been strong across our national platform, demand in California has been particularly intense,” said Gregory Novak, Managing Partner and CEO of Novak Druce.

Further, Novak said, “given this demand, we were fortunate to be approached by the Fountain Law Group’s George Fountain to join Novak Druce and deliver to us an ability to better serve our existing clients and to provide George’s clients a greater depth via our national platform. Our being able to gain an Orange County office perfectly fits with our strategic growth plan and with our model of facilitating client services in the growing Orange County and San Diego area markets, reflecting the needs and demands of our high tech, medical device and biotech client base.”

“I am extremely pleased to be able to bring my practice and clients to Novak Druce and to be a part of a national law firm with such an incredible focus on all aspects of intellectual property law, including the ability to foster relationships with and guide early stage and startup companies,” said, new Novak Druce partner, George Fountain. “Having been approached by other national law firms that were more of a general practice, I was happy when a mutual and significant client put me in contact with Novak Druce. The approach towards the client and the encompassing approach on intellectual property made me feel that this is the Firm for my clients to follow me to, as my practice demanded and will significantly benefit from a larger platform.”

Fountain joins Novak Druce bringing his experience from Fountain Law Group to the Firm, where the he and the Firm will continue to provide closely tailored services to its predominately high-tech client base.

Fountain has over 20 years of experience representing high-tech companies and individuals in acquiring and protecting significant intellectual property portfolios. Fountain received his BS EE from California State Polytechnic University in 1984, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude, an MS EE from the University of Southern California in 1988, and his JD from Temple University in 1995, where he graduated Cum Laude. Fountain also brings eight years of industry experience as an engineer.

This is the second office expansion for Novak Druce in the last 9 months. In July, Novak Druce added a Philadelphia office led by veteran IP attorney Alfred W. Zaher. Novak Druce now has 11 offices across the U.S. Fountain also joins Duane H. Mathiowetz, Patricia L. Peden, and Rick C. Chang as new partners who joined Novak Druce in the last 3 months and reside in its California offices.

Tags:  Novak Druce Connolly Bove + Quigg LLP | Orange County

Johnson & Johnson’s Offer from Cardinal Health to Acquire Cordis for $1.99 Billion

Johnson & Johnson announced a binding offer from Cardinal Health to acquire its Cordis business for an aggregate value of $1.99 billion, consisting of $1.944 billion of cash proceeds from Cardinal Health plus approximately $46 million of retained net receivables. Cravath is representing Johnson & Johnson in connection with this transaction. The acceptance period for the offer will end on May 30, 2015, unless extended. If the offer is accepted, the proposed transaction would be expected to close towards the end of 2015, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. More >>

Tags:  New York

Shearman & Sterling Advises Underwriters in Ford Motor Credit Company’s $2.0 Billion Notes Offering

Shearman & Sterling represented Barclays Capital Inc., Credit Agricole Securities (USA) Inc., Goldman, Sachs & Co., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and RBC Capital Markets, LLC as joint book-running managers and Banco Bradesco BBI S.A., BB Securities Limited, Lloyds Securities Inc., Mizuho Securities USA Inc. and SG Americas Securities, LLC as co-managers in connection with Ford Motor Credit Company LLC’s offering of $500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its Floating Rate Notes due January 9, 2018, $750,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 2.145% Notes due January 9, 2018 and $750,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 3.219% Notes due January 9, 2022. More >>

Tags:  Shearman & Sterling LLP | New York

Harness Dickey Launches Dallas Office Led by New Principal Gerald Welch

Leading intellectual property (IP) law firm Harness Dickey opened the doors to its Dallas office today, establishing the firm’s first presence in a region experiencing significant economic growth. Principals Gerald T. Welch and Darin W. Deaver, along with associates Chris K. Miller, Christopher M. Cauble and Thomas E. Schiano, have joined Harness Dickey from Dentons to launch the new office.

A long-time Dallas-area resident, Welch brings with him more than 30 years of experience in patent prosecution, counseling and litigation in the electrical, telecommunications, life sciences and medical device industries for corporations in the U.S., Asia and Europe. More >>

Tags:  Harness, Dickey & Pierce, P.L.C. | Dallas

Leading Patent Attorney Jeffrey Lewis Joins Fried Frank’s Intellectual Property Litigation Practice

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP announced today that Jeffrey I.D. Lewis has joined the Firm as a partner in the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice, resident in the New York office. Mr. Lewis concentrates on patent litigation and also handles trademark matters, as well as other intellectual property and general litigation. A trained chemical engineer and registered patent attorney, Mr. Lewis represents both plaintiffs and defendants in a range of technology-related sectors but focuses primarily on pharmaceuticals, chemicals, biotechnology and life sciences; he has represented pharmaceutical innovators in numerous Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) patent litigations. More >>

Tags:  Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP | New York

Dentons advises L1 Energy in relation to its US$5.7 billion acquisition of RWE Dea

Dentons has advised L1 Energy, the market leading global oil and gas investment fund of the LetterOne Group advised by Pamplona Capital Management, in relation to the completion and shareholder funding of its acquisition of RWE Dea AG, the oil and gas unit of RWE AG, Germany’s largest power generator, for debt and equity consideration of US$5.7 billion. More >>

Tags:  Dentons | London

Constangy, Brooks & Smith Adds Don Prophete as Named Partner

Labor and employment law firm Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLP announced today that nationally-recognized attorney Donald Prophete is joining the firm which will now be known as Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP.

Eleven other attorneys from across the country are also joining the firm, which will add offices in Denver and New York to its 25 current locations. The new attorneys come to the firm with a wide range of backgrounds and are part of a concerted effort by Constangy to remain well-positioned to represent employers in the challenges they face in a more tech-savvy, diverse workplace environment. More >>

Tags:  Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete LLP | Atlanta | Denver | New York

Cadwalader Adds Chad Mills to Energy and Commodities Practice in Houston

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, a leading counselor to global financial institutions and corporations, today announced that Chad Mills is joining the firm as Partner in its Energy & Commodities Practice in Houston. Mills is a leading practitioner in structured energy transactions and related energy trading agreements, project infrastructure development, mergers and acquisitions, and other corporate transactions for clients including energy providers, developers, investors and underwriters in gas, electric power and oil.

“Chad’s addition demonstrates our firm’s continuing ability to attract top talent,” said Patrick Quinn, Managing Partner. “Chad is a great fit with our firm’s emphasis on coordinating our expertise across all our practice areas to produce the best results for clients on their most complex matters. He embraces the opportunity to combine his energy transactional experience with our regulatory, financial, corporate and other strengths to best serve our clients, and we couldn’t be more pleased to have him join us.” More >>

Tags:  Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP | Houston

Japan’s Atsumi & Sakai opens in London

Atsumi & Sakai has established an office in London, becoming the first Japanese firm to open its doors in the UK.

The London office, which operates under the name Atsumi & Sakai Europe Limited, advises clients on all aspects of Japanese law, with a focus on M&A, banking, capital markets and securities regulation.
Corporate partner Ryuichi Nozaki has relocated from Tokyo to head Atsumi & Sakai’s London office. He is supported by Tokyo-based senior partner Hiroki Mori, who oversees the firm’s European practice group in Japan. More >>

Tags:  Atsumi & Sakai | London