Laurie Axford, an accomplished intellectual property (“IP”) attorney and well-respected biotech lawyer in the San Diego bar, has rejoined Gordon & Rees LLP as a partner, and will be resident at a newly opened office in Carlsbad in North San Diego County.  Joining her in making the move are associates Brooks Gifford and Brian Sun, IP paralegal Gayle Katzman, secretary Tasha Swahn, and case assistant Kelsey Quist. The North County office brings the total of Gordon & Rees offices across the country to 21.

“We’re very pleased to welcome Laurie back to Gordon & Rees, and excited to have her and her team open our new office in Carlsbad,” said Kevin Alexander, managing partner of the San Diego office who will also oversee the Carlsbad office.  “Their Carlsbad location is well situated to enable them to service our numerous clients located in north San Diego County.”  Ms. Axford briefly left Gordon & Rees in late 2008 to work with a boutique IP firm based in Virginia.

Ms. Axford’s practice focuses on all phases of patent prosecution, including forming initial patent strategies for new technologies and managing complex existing portfolios.  Her industry focus includes a large cross-section of life science-related fields including diagnostics, therapeutics, medical devices and consumer goods.

Additionally, Ms. Axford assists clients with highly complex patent issues including global licensing, litigation support, opinion work, post-prosecution proceedings (with a particular focus on reexaminations and international oppositions), business-related due diligence and other advanced-level matters for clients in the institutional, corporate and financial sectors.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Ms. Axford worked as a scientist in one of San Diego’s first biotechnology companies.  Following law school, she became in-house patent counsel to a biotechnology company, and entered private practice in 1995.  She received her J.D. from Western State University School of Law.  She also holds a B.S. degree in microbiology and an M.S. degree in molecular biology from San Diego State University.  Ms. Axford is admitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Brooks Gifford and Brian Sun are also patent attorneys admitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  Mr. Gifford earned his J.D. from California Western School of Law, and holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles.  Mr. Sun is a 2008 graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law.  He has a B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and will complete his Masters in Biotechnology from The Johns Hopkins University in May, 2012.

These distinguished attorneys join Gordon & Rees as the Firm’s IP Practice Group grows and expands its national footprint.  Previously named as one of the preeminent IP litigation firms in California, these additions will materially strengthen Gordon & Rees’ prosecution and transactional capabilities in the IP field.

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