Morrison & Foerster has relocated partner Chuck Comey from Shanghai to Palo Alto. Comey has spent the last 16 years in Asia. He first spent nine years in Morrison’s Tokyo office at which point he moved to Shanghai to launch the firm’s new office.

Sidley Austin LLP has hired boosted its Palo Alto and China offices with the hire of Yabo Lin. Lin joins the firm as a partner in the corporate department. He will split his time between Palo Alto and China.

Howard Rice IP has lost a intellectual property Partner, who had been with the firm for 19 years. Bobbie Wilson, who was the head of Howard’s IP litigation practice, has joined Perkins Coie. She practice out of both the San Francisco and Menlo Park offices as an equity partner.

White & Case has lost yet another partner from its Palo Alto office: Jennifer L. Yokoyama. Yokoyama, who specializes in patent litigation, left the firm for Nike. She takes the position of Assistant General Counsel

Another partner has fled White & Case. Steve Betensky, the firm’s global IT practice chair. Betensky specializes in trademark and patent licensing agreements. Before moving to White & Case’s New York office, he worked in the Palo Alto and Prague offices.

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Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP has added attorney Michael A. Molano. Molano, who joins from Mayor Brown, will concentrate his practice in Silicon Valley within the Intellectual Property practice group. In 1993, he received his J.D. from St. Louis School of Law, and attended Northwestern University where he received a B.S. In Electrical Engineering. Molano is currently a registered patent attorney.

Covington & Burling has expanded its firm with 50 lawyers from Heller Ehrman. The attorneys joining the firm are widespread: 14 partners, six counsel, and even more associates. Covington has also announced their plans to launch two new offices in California: Silicon Valley and San Diego. But, that is not the last we will hear of Covington’s additions. There are still more potential laterals waiting in the wings.

Source: www.legaltimes.typepad.com

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges has snagged an in-house litigator from Samsung Electronics. John Kim, previously senior intellectual property litigation counsel for the company, has joined the firm’s Silicon Valley office. starting June 9th. Kim has an excellent academic record, having graduating Cornell University with a mechanical engineering degree, and having received his J.D. from American University Washington College of Law. http://www.law.com/jsp/ihc/PubArticleIHC.jsp?id=1202422258508

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has hired a partner from Akin Gump for its executive compensation and employee benefits group. Tristan Brown joins as Partner in Simpon Thacher’s Palo Alto office. The firm welcomes him with open arms.

Source: www.earthtimes.org