Duane Morris LLP has hired two senior associates to bolster its existing high-technology intellectual property team in Silicon Valley, just four months after launching the office. David Xue, Ph.D., and Phillip Mancini have joined the firm in Palo Alto from Goodwin Procter LLP and Crowell & Moring LLP, respectively.

“We are pleased and excited to welcome David and Phillip,” said Karineh Khachatourian, managing partner of the Silicon Valley office. “They are highly skilled in electrical engineering and computer software and hardware IP issues—areas of keen interest to our clients. Our growth demonstrates our commitment to furthering our capabilities to address Silicon Valley businesses’ most pressing needs.”

Xue has extensive experience representing clients in a wide array of patent-related matters, including strategic counseling, portfolio management and freedom to operate analysis, reexamination proceedings, U.S. International Trade Commission proceedings and patent litigation. He focuses his practice on computer software and hardware, semiconductors, medical devices, telecommunications, wireless networks, network security and storage, web-based applications, social networking and online search. Xue has also counseled technology companies on patent matters involving multimedia content and communication, electronic transactions and identity validation, electronic messaging, digital documentation, computer graphics, clean energy and business methods.

Prior to entering private practice, Xue worked in management roles at two major Chinese technology companies: Hangzhou-based online business-to-business e-commerce company Alibaba Inc., where he was the director of product development; and Beijing-based fabless semiconductor firm Vimicro International, where he served as vice president. He has written and spoken on intellectual property and electrical engineering topics for many years.

While completing his legal studies in 2007, Xue was recognized by the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction with the Excellence for the Future Award for achievement in the study of Venture Capital Law. In 2006, he received the Outstanding Chinese Patent Award by the State Intellectual Property Office of China.

Xue earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1997 and his J.D. in 2007 from the University of San Francisco School of Law. Prior to that, he graduated with a B.E. in Computer Science and Technology in 1990 from Tsinghua University in Beijing and received his M.S. in Computer Science in 1992 from the University of Maryland. Xue is fluent in Mandarin.

Mancini represents clients in a variety of IP-related matters that include litigation, licensing, opinions of counsel, reexamination proceedings, patent prosecution and appeals to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He works with computer software and hardware makers, semiconductor equipment manufacturers, chip designers, banks and other technology companies in patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation litigation. He also represents clients in Section 337 trade remedy investigations before the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Mancini earned his J.D. in 2005 from Georgetown University Law Center. He graduated with a B.A. in Economics, magna cum laude, in 1994 from Wake Forest University and earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1997 from the University of Maryland. Prior to law school, Mancini worked as an IP manager for a small publicly-traded computer company, as a systems engineer with Northrop Grumman Corporation and as a Patent Examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

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