James W. Soong has joined the Palo Alto office of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP as a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property practice group, joining from Greenberg Traurig.

Soong’s patent and intellectual property practice focuses on the technology sector. His work includes strategically developing patent portfolios and leading patent litigation matters in a wide array of technical disciplines.

“Jim’s patent expertise in the technology sector is a great fit for our rapidly expanding IP practice group. He brings a valuable range of private practice and in-house experience to Sheppard Mullin,” said Guy N. Halgren, chairman of Sheppard Mullin.

“Jim joining us represents another step forward in our strategic plan to continue to expand our patent prosecution and litigation capabilities. He is an accomplished IP attorney who counts recognized industry leaders across the globe as clients, and is an excellent fit with the firm’s collegial culture,” said Nagendra (Nick) Setty, co-chair of Sheppard Mullin’s Intellectual Property practice group.

“I am thrilled to join Sheppard Mullin and have been very impressed with the firm’s strategic vision and the growth of the IP practice. I look forward to working closely with my new partners in Northern California and firmwide,” Soong commented.

“We are excited to have Jim on board in Palo Alto, as we further grow the firm’s presence in Silicon Valley, and in particular strengthen and deepen our bench of local IP attorneys,” said Marc A. Sockol, managing partner of Sheppard Mullin’s Palo Alto office.

Soong regularly counsels clients – from start-ups to the Fortune 500 – regarding worldwide intellectual property strategy, including patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret portfolio procurement, management, licensing and enforcement. He frequently advises clients on patent licensing, enforcement, litigation, as well as avoidance strategies. Soong’s experience includes advising on intellectual property issues that arise in licensing, standard setting organizations, mergers and acquisitions, inter-company agreements, employment and other corporate matters. Drawing on his extensive in-house corporate experience, Soong is often called upon to provide strategic direction regarding the establishment and optimization of corporate intellectual policies and best practices.

Soong received a J.D. from University of California at Davis School of Law in 1995 and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from University of California at Los Angeles in 1992. In addition to private practice, Soong led the global intellectual property strategy at Siebel Systems from 2000 to 2005.

Last month, patent litigation partner Laura Burson joined Sheppard Mullin’s Intellectual Property from Kirkland & Ellis. In Oct., IP litigation partners Laura Chapman, Brad Graveline and Scott Miller, joined Sheppard Mullin respectively from Foley & Lardner, Winston & Strawn and Connolly Bove.

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