Reed Smith Adds Thelen Transactional Partner to L.A. Office - Rauer Meyer Joins Business & Finance Group to Gain Broader International Platform
Publication Date: December 02, 2008
(December 2, 2008, Los Angeles, CA) – Reed Smith, one of the 15 largest law firms in the world, today announced the addition of former Thelen partner Rauer Meyer to its Business & Finance group. He will be resident in the firm’s Los Angeles office, effective immediately.
Mr. Meyer’s practice focuses on the development, protection, licensing, and other commercialization of technology, and the manufacture, procurement and distribution of technology products and services across a broad range of industries. Prior to moving to Thelen’s Los Angeles office in 2006, he was resident in its San Francisco office, where he represented a diverse group of Silicon Valley companies. Mr. Meyer’s recent work in Los Angeles has expanded his practice base to serve Southern California businesses, including those in the entertainment industry, who are developing, acquiring and deploying technology in the service of content.
“Rauer’s expertise is well-aligned with Reed Smith’s strategic plan to enhance our transactional capabilities firmwide to meet the technology development and integration needs of companies at every scale,” said John Iino, Co-Chair of Reed Smith’s Corporate & Securities Practice. “His experience in technology and IP transactions will benefit the clients of the firm’s corporate and securities attorneys in Southern California, and will help link attorneys in our Southern California offices with our newly opened Silicon Valley office.”
Mr. Meyer’s experience includes negotiating and drafting complex outsourcing and internet transactions, such as Web site development, hosting, and maintenance arrangements; co-marketing, infrastructure licensing, content acquisition and protection; and customer sale transactions and privacy policies.
His IP practice includes the protection of rights in technology, trademarks, software, copyrights, and trade secrets associated with his transactional practice. He also has broad experience with, and current client matters involving, western companies that need IP protection while doing business in China.
“I am confident my practice will continue to thrive in Reed Smith’s expansive, broad-based environment,” said Mr. Meyer. “I have clients and new business opportunities, including emerging companies seeking to expand and protect their intellectual properties in Asia, Europe and throughout the U.S., where Reed Smith has a strong presence. I also have family roots and continuing personal connections in Pittsburgh, where the firm was founded. All in all, Reed Smith is an excellent fit for my practice.”
A 1973 cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, Mr. Meyer was a partner at Thelen for more than two decades.
“Rauer is a tremendous addition to our digital media and content team and to this office,” said Peter Kennedy, Reed Smith’s Los Angeles Office Managing Partner. “With Los Angeles being one of the world’s leading sources of digital media and content, acquiring this additional critical mass for our transactional practice will allow us to further leverage the advantages of our global platform, including expanding services for technology and digital media clients in New York, Chicago, Europe and Asia. Rauer, working with other attorneys in California, will provide an exceptional base for us to pursue a range of new opportunities.”
Mr. Meyer is one of three lawyers comprising a third wave of Reed Smith attorneys from Thelen. A renewable energy group led by Ellen Bastier in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York—and a labor and employment group, led by Tom Hill and Linda Husar in Los Angeles, and Deborah Broyles in San Francisco—also joined the firm recently. In this latest group, partner Phillip G. Lookadoo joins Reed Smith’s Washington, D.C. office specializing in the transactional and regulatory aspects of the energy industry. Corporate partner Eulalia M. Mack, who represents energy companies in private equity and public capital markets transactions and SEC compliance matters, also comes aboard today in New York City.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,700 lawyers in 24 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 attorneys provide litigation services in multi-jurisdictional matters and other high stake disputes, 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 and media, shipping, international trade and commodities, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com
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