Law Firm Overview

With the Silicon Valley poised for an economic comeback, Foley has set up an office in Palo Alto to serve the area's burgeoning high-tech and biotech industries.

Dedicated to the forefront of emerging industries, Foley has established a significant presence in California, leveraging our strong intellectual property (IP), IP litigation, and business law capabilities to make inroads in the strategic life sciences and high-technology markets.

Setting up a Palo Alto office greatly enhances our legal practice in critical areas such as biotechnology and nanotechnology. That strength is further enhanced by the addition of several highly regarded biotechnology/pharmaceutical attorneys and legal support staff.

Widely recognized as the number one biotechnology market in the world, the Bay area also is seeing growth in the electronics industry. Today, innovative enterprises constantly are in demand to bring new, state-of-the-art technologies and products to market. Foley offers comprehensive legal services to help turn that concept into commercial reality. And with fully integrated expertise in business law, IP law, health care, regulatory law, and tax law, we are uniquely positioned to take your company through the intricate maze that faces you as you bring your idea to market.

At Foley, we strive to deliver value-added legal services specifically aligned with our clients' business objectives. We are particularly excited about the broad vistas of nanotechnology and microsystems. We know that an emerging nanotechnology and microsystems sector lies at the intersection of materials science, organic chemistry and biochemistry, semiconductor design, fluidics, and computer science, among other disciplines.

Our Silicon Valley office is supported by an IP department of more than 200 attorneys, and with a dedicated Life Sciences Industry Team focused on the pharmaceutical, chemical, and biotechnology markets, we have integrated our IP capabilities to deliver an innovative lifecycle of IP services to protect and add value to our clients' valued IP assets.

Nearly a quarter of all patents litigated today come from California. Having established a strong presence in the Bay area, Foley is fully prepared to handle patent-related work. Our success in patent prosecution is the direct result of the extensive knowledge and experience of our attorneys, most of whom established technical credentials prior to their practice of law. In fact, many of our patent attorneys have Ph.D. degrees in various fields.

At Foley, we understand the business side of the challenges and risks posed by potential and actual lawsuits, and our attorneys have the acumen and skill to effectively confront the legal issues facing our clients. Our litigation philosophy is to provide our clients with the most comprehensive legal advice, covering all available options, before deciding the best course of action to ensure success. We focus on the complete solution.

Today, Foley has one of the largest and most comprehensive litigation practices in the country. Although we are renowned for our courtroom skills, we vastly prefer to see our clients avoid litigation through preventive counseling. Where litigation is unavoidable, we strive to position the case for an early, prudent settlement with the most favorable business solution for our clients and the least risk.

Foley's White Collar Defense & Corporate Compliance Practice responds to intensified federal criminal enforcement, particularly in securities, government contracts, health care, and international transactions. Our Silicon Valley office can tap this talented group, which brings together former federal prosecutors and federal agency law enforcement personnel with decades of experience representing companies and individuals in regulatory and government enforcement matters.

Our Silicon Valley attorneys have an informed appreciation for the region's special needs and approaches. As well, the addition of our Silicon Valley office better positions the firm to service the needs of our existing electronics, semiconductor, and software clients, and to provide local patent litigation services.

With a strong commitment to client diversity and a firm grasp of industry knowledge and understanding, we create effective business solutions, not just legal opinions. We look forward to establishing a significant presence in the Silicon Valley region over the next few years.

Areas of Practice

• Industry Teams
• Intellectual Property
• Business Law
• Litigation
• Other Services
• Government & Public Affairs

West Practice Categories

Business & Commercial Law, Business Organizations, Government Agencies & Programs, Government Contracts, Intellectual Property Law, Litigation & Appeals, State, Local & Municipal Law