(October 28, 2008, Palo Alto, CA) — Reed Smith LLP, one of the 15 largest law firms in the world, today adds significant intellectual property and corporate strength to its newly launched Silicon Valley office. The three most recent arrivals are IP partners Craig Opperman and Carina Tan from Morgan Lewis & Bockius, and corporate partner Michael DiSanto from Morrison & Foerster.
“Since opening in Palo Alto, our focus has been on building in several key practices,” said Jack Nelson, a Vice Chair of Reed Smith’s Litigation Department and one of the team of partners leading the new office. “Having high quality Valley-based attorneys, such as Craig, Carina, and Michael, is critical in providing for the IP and corporate needs of our clients in the technology center of the world.”
Mr. Opperman brings to Reed Smith more than 20 years of U.S., European and Asian hi-tech, clean-tech and medical device experience. He draws on this extensive legal and corporate executive experience to provide services centered on intellectual property as a strategic corporate asset. His clients—from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies—rely on his team to help design, build, defend against and leverage these assets.
Opperman has spent most of his career in Silicon Valley, after moving there from his native South Africa in 1991. Before joining Morgan Lewis in 2004, he was General Counsel, SVP Strategy and Chief IP Officer of Health Hero Network, Inc., a maker of remote patient monitoring systems. Prior to that, he was Chief IP Officer of NASDAQ-listed, interactive-TV software company, OpenTV, Inc., and its controlling shareholder, Dutch-based MIH Limited. From 1994-2000, he was at Cooley Godward, where he became a partner in 1996. Opperman is a Stanford Business School SEP alumnus, holds Law and Engineering degrees from the Universities of South Africa and Cape Town, respectively, is a graduate of the South African Naval Academy, and he is a registered patent attorney in both the United States and South Africa.
“Intellectual property is a critically important asset in today’s knowledge-based economies. Our clients recognize that IP rights isolated from business realities are not very useful. They demand a unified package of IP services reflecting that recognition and we are extremely excited about the opportunity to build a fully-integrated, strategic IP practice in Silicon Valley,” said Opperman. “Our mission is to provide our clients with world-class, one-stop shop IP services that couple tightly all three aspects of the IP asset—designing & building portfolios, leveraging IP and managing IP risks and controversies—and integrate them as a unified service with Reed Smith’s corporate and litigation teams in Silicon Valley, across the United States and abroad.”
Since joining Morgan Lewis in 2005 from Perkins Coie, Ms. Tan has worked closely with Mr. Opperman on IP counseling, procurement, and enforcement. A former NASA research scientist, Tan’s high-tech background includes intimate knowledge of communication networks and devices, computer architecture, software and internet applications, and semiconductor processing and devices. She received her M.S. and B.S degrees in aerospace engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1987 and 1985, respectively, and she is a 1996 graduate of UC Hastings College of Law.
“In a period of rapid expansion, it is great to have so many new partners who can hit the ground running. Craig and Carina bring a depth of legal expertise, strong technical knowledge, and wealth of experience in working with a wide array of client IP needs, added Scott Baker, Chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property practice. “They will be a terrific addition, and along with the many talented lawyers we have recruited to the Palo Alto office, will play a key role in establishing Reed Smith as a premier legal resource in Silicon Valley.”
With the addition of Mr. DiSanto, Reed Smith also continues to build on its corporate capabilities in the Valley. DiSanto rejoins his colleague from Morrison & Foerster, Rich Scudellari, who came to Reed Smith in August to anchor the firm’s Silicon Valley corporate practice and lead the development of the new office. DiSanto’s general corporate practice focuses on representing emerging growth and venture-funded companies in a full-spectrum of industries from inception through IPOs and M&As.
“Mike’s experience founding a startup and building it to secure a successful sale provides clients the benefit of his in-the-trenches business perspective,” said John Iino, firmwide head of Reed Smith's Corporate & Securities Group and the third member of the new office’s management team. “We are looking to Mike to play a critical role in expanding our business throughout Northern California.”
Before joining Morrison & Foerster, DiSanto was founder, CEO and General Counsel of 1st Round KO LLC, a San Francisco-based Internet company, which he sold in 2006. Prior to that, he was an associate in the Menlo Park office of Shearman & Sterling, where his practice focused on representing underwriters in large public financings involving both debt and equity, as well as the general corporate representation of both multinational corporations and startups. DiSanto started his career at Cooley Godward in Palo Alto in 1998, where he and Opperman worked together. He earned his B.A. from Vanderbilt University in 1995 and his J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1998.
With the addition of Opperman, Tan and DiSanto, Reed Smith has added 12 partners and an additional 23 counsel and associates in its five west coast offices since the first of the year.
Reed Smith officially opened its office on Page Mill Road in Palo Alto on October 1, in order to better meet the needs of its local and global technology, life and health sciences, clean-tech, finance, and venture capital clients.
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 lawyers 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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