Responding to client requests for a greater Silicon Valley presence, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP opened a new office in Cupertino, Calif., on October 1st. The new office will focus on Intellectual Property and Patent law pertaining to the tech industry.

Womble Carlyle has a long history of serving companies in the technology sector, providing services related to intellectual property protection, dispute resolution and venture capital investment. Many of these companies are located in Silicon Valley.

In addition to serving Silicon Valley clients, the Silicon Valley office will provide access and relationships for all Womble Carlyle clients that have an interest in doing business with the most important technology community in the world.

“While we are new to the neighborhood, we know the people who work here and what they want from their outside counsel,” said Keith Vaughan, Womble Carlyle’s Managing Partner. “For clients in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic who want to do business in Silicon Valley, this office will allow us to serve their needs even better.”

The Silicon Valley office is staffed by well-respected Silicon Valley intellectual property attorneys. James Vaughan, the co-leader of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group, is directly involved in establishing the new office.

“Some of Silicon Valley’s top companies already turn to Womble Carlyle for strategic and legal guidance in IP matters,” James Vaughan said. “By bringing in a team of proven, experienced Silicon Valley attorneys, we are ready to hit the ground running for our clients.”

In addition, Womble Carlyle attorney John F. Sandy Smith will be involved in growing the office, including adding a Corporate and Securities practice in Silicon Valley. Smith is a Trustee Emeritus at Stanford University, where he serves on the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy and Research (SIEPR) Advisory Board and chairs the Advisory Board of the Institute for Research in Social Science at Stanford University (IRiSS).

Womble Carlyle’s Intellectual Property Group includes nearly 70 attorneys and patent agents. The team assists clients with all matters of domestic and international IP and Patent law, including patent investigations and procurement, trademark and copyright protection, and IP/Patent litigation.