Morrison Foerster signs-up 36-lawyer litigation boutique
California-based litigation firm Durie Tangri is to join Morrison Foerster, strengthening Morrison Foerster’s technology and life sciences practices.
The agreement, effective January 1, 2023, will see an anticipated 36 lawyers, including 12 partners, leave Durie Tangri to join the global firm.
Durie Tangri’s specialist trial practices represent clients in diverse areas of complex litigation, including IP (patent, trademark, and copyright), professional liability, privacy, white-collar crime and investigations, contract and commercial matters, and class actions, as well as appellate matters.
Recent notable representations over 2021 to 2022 include a defence verdict for Activision Blizzard in a copyright case over its blockbuster game “Call of Duty Black Ops 4”; a defence verdict for Redbubble in a copyright and trademark infringement case brought by Atari; and a defence verdict in a patent case for Aptiv over USB technology.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Durie Tangri team to Morrison Foerster,” said Eric McCrath, chair of Morrison Foerster. “Their stellar IP, complex civil litigation and trial law capabilities will add significant strength and talent to our ranks on the West Coast. Our shared commitment to serving clients on the forefront of technology and life sciences, while staying true to our values, in particular our commitment to diversity and inclusion, make this the perfect match for our firm.”
Durie Tangri was co-founded in San Francisco in 2009 by Daralyn Durie, Ragesh Tangri, Mark Lemley, and Joseph Gratz, among others. In just over a decade, Durie Tangri has seen significant growth and expanded its client base and capabilities, opening a second office in Los Angeles in 2018.
“Providing access to Morrison Foerster’s global platform will be transformational for our lawyers’ ability to grow their practices and is a natural next step in our evolution,” said Durie.
“Morrison Foerster’s deep roots in the Bay Area, continued tradition of leadership in the tech and life sciences sectors, coupled with its well-respected bench of IP lawyers, and premier litigation department all make MoFo the ideal fit for us. We look forward to carrying on its tradition of trial excellence.”
Tangri added: “We are proud of what we have built and achieved in the last several years at Durie Tangri. We look forward to bringing our next generation of diverse trial talent and shared values to the firm, and focusing on developing the best trial teams for clients across MoFo’s global platform and scale.”
In the last five years, Morrison Foerster lawyers have litigated more than 300 patent disputes in the most active district courts in the US, including the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas, the District of Delaware, and the Northern and Central Districts of California.
In 2019, Morrison Foerster opened an office in Boston, significantly strengthening its IP capabilities on the East Coast. Earlier this year, the firm opened an office in Austin with an initial focus on advising companies, including emerging growth companies, and investors in the technology, life sciences, and healthcare sectors, on IP litigation and transactional matters.
As part of the opening, IP practitioners Brian Nash and Aaron Fountain joined the firm’s IP Litigation Group.
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