(PALO ALTO, December 14, 2011)-Reed Smith LLP today announced the addition of Steven S. Baik, who joins the firm's Silicon Valley Intellectual Property practice in the firm's Palo Alto office as a partner.
Mr. Baik was previously with Silicon Valley IP litigation boutique Freitas, Tseng, Baik & Kaufman, which he formed with three other former equity partners from Orrick's Menlo Park office in order to concentrate on a wave of contingency work for plaintiffs in patent cases.
During his career, Mr. Baik has handled patent litigation for many of the tech giants, led patent licensing negotiations, and counseled clients on all aspects of IP issues, including patent portfolio development, and offensive and defensive licensing and litigation.
"Steven has a uniquely 360-degree viewpoint on his practice. He is a developer and defender of complex, high-value patent portfolios, has both the in-house and plaintiffs' perspectives, and a background as a highly trained engineer," said Reed Smith's Palo Alto Office Managing Partner Jack Nelson. "Steven brings a deep appreciation for, and understanding of, 21st Century technology, and we're excited to have him aboard."
Mr. Baik holds a B.S., magna cum laude, in Electrical Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona, and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. After school, he worked for the Ampex Corporation in Redwood City designing app-specific integrated circuits for new digital recording formats. Throughout these years, Baik also developed a healthy appreciation for the development, prosecution and defense of technology patents, a path that would ultimately lead to law school.
After graduating with honors from U.C. Hastings College of the Law in 1996, Baik cut his teeth as a litigation associate at Wilson Sonsini, and then went in-house at SanDisk, where he managed the company's IP portfolio and defended the company in high-stakes patent litigations. Mr. Baik then returned to Wilson in 2005, where he became a partner before being recruited by Orrick in 2007.
Baik joins Reed Smith's Palo Alto office, now in its third year, as a member of the IP practice and in the firm's Litigation Department, which has more than 800 members in 23 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
"I was drawn to Reed Smith's Palo Alto office for several reasons," said Mr. Baik. "Particularly because it is an office in a committed growth mode with an all-star team of veteran Valley insiders, plus the resources of a truly global platform."
Mr. Baik has been a member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers since 1987 and a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) since 1998. Baik is also a longtime member of the Korean American Bar Association and Bay Area K Group-a non-profit Korean professional organization dedicated to promoting leadership, community, and entrepreneurship in technology-as is fellow Palo Alto partner Catharina Min, who leads Reed Smith's firm-wide Korea Practice.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,600 lawyers in 23 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.
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