The majority of personnel at Connecticut boutique IP firm Moyles IP have joined transatlantic firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) led by name partner Lisa Moyles.  

The group of five lawyers and a paralegal have signed up with WBD's patent prosecution and litigation practice and also includes partner Jason Rockman, of counsel Janelle O’Neill and counsels Jason Radachy and Bradley Shelowitz. They will be based in the Raleigh, Washington DC and New York offices. Paralegel Diane Hughes has also moved over from Moyles to WBD.

The two firms have collaborated on a number of complex patent cases. Recently, they secured a defensive verdict on behalf of client DynaEnergetics in a case before the US District Court for the Western District of Texas, marking their third favourable defence verdict in six years in Texas courts.

Leader of WBD's patent prosecution and litigation practice groups, Preston Heard, said: “Many of our attorneys have worked with this talented team over the years and have seen their incredible ability to counsel clients in all forms of intellectual property, including patent and trademark prosecution, licensing, and litigation strategy.”

Heard added: “Lisa and her team have a robust client base with an international presence, and this addition further establishes the firm as a top-notch provider of intellectual property legal services.”

Moyles commented: “Womble has an excellent reputation as a full-service transatlantic law firm with a particularly robust IP and litigation practice.

“My colleagues and I are excited to join a firm that shares our collaborative and hands-on approach to client service. We look forward to introducing our clients to the strength of the firm’s highly regarded attorneys in other disciplines.”

Moyles, based in the Raleigh office, has over 30 years’ experience advising clients on all aspects of IP strategy management and protection. She counsels and represents clients at every stage of the protection lifecycle, including patent and trademark acquisition that withstands validity challenges.

Rockman joins the Washington DC office and has a background in chemical engineering and works with domestic and international clients on patent preparation, prosecution and enforcement.

Also in the DC office, O’Neill  prepares and prosecutes domestic and international patent applications and advises clients in the mechanical, biotechnology and chemical arts. She also conducts patentability and freedom-to-operate analysis and provides advice geared toward avoiding IP-related litigation.

Radachy works on patent preparation and prosecution, portfolio management, strategic counseling, opinion preparation and litigation support in the DC office. New-York based Shelowitz is a patent and trademark attorney with a strong technical background particularly in the field of biomedical engineering. He conducts patent validity and infringement analyses, due diligence investigations and clearances.

WBD's patent prosecution and litigation practice consists of more than 100 attorneys, patent agents, and science and technical advisors.

This announcement is the latest in a period of strategic growth for the firm that has included a series of hires within the group, including Andrew Beverina (of counsel, Washington DC), Kevin Davis (of counsel, Houston), Fabio Marino (partner, Silicon Valley), Jeff McIntyre (partner, Washington DC), Rodney Miller (partner, Atlanta), Brandon Massengill (of counsel, Raleigh) and Kristian Sullivan (of counsel, Houston).

In February, merger talks between WBD and London firm BDB Pitmans were called off.