Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP

Languages

• Bangla
• Chinese (Cantonese)
• Chinese (Mandarin)
• English
• Farsi
• French
• German
• Mandarin Chinese
• Sinhala
• Taiwanese

Law Firm Overview

Opened in 2005, WilmerHale’s Palo Alto office has grown to over 50 attorneys in a wide range of practice areas, including litigation, corporate, securities, intellectual property, technology licensing and fund formation.

The clients serviced by our office range from Fortune 50 corporations to venture-backed start-up companies. Our work for these clients focuses on areas that match the requirements of Silicon Valley companies with the firm’s core strengths: corporate finance and M&A; intellectual property litigation, counseling and transactions; patent prosecution; securities enforcement and litigation; cross-border transactions and litigation; and government investigations and white collar criminal litigation.

Our corporate group regularly represents venture capital firms in fund formations and complex financings, and serves as general counsel to numerous emerging growth companies in several significant market segments, including clean tech and life sciences. Members of our corporate group also advise companies on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions.

The firm’s intellectual property practice is regarded among the elite practices internationally and our Palo Alto office is deeply integrated into that practice. Our experience includes high profile patent litigation cases throughout the country; international arbitrations involving technology issues, copyright, Lanham Act and trade secret disputes; intellectual property counseling; patent prosecution; and technology transactions. Consistently ranked among the best IP litigation practices in the United States by industry analysts such as Chambers and the American Lawyer, we strive to fully understand our clients’ goals in order to provide a comprehensive global strategy that maximizes and protects the value of intellectual property assets.

The Palo Alto office also offers deep expertise in securities litigation and enforcement, and independent Board and other internal investigations, for which WilmerHale is the “place to go for high-profile matters that cover large potential liabilities” (Chambers USA). We have brought our experience and pragmatism to our defense of issuers, investment advisers and broker-dealers in hundreds of SEC, FINRA and regulatory actions, and on a wide array of class and shareholder litigation, including on behalf of emerging growth technology clients, nearly every major investment bank, and the directors of Enron, Qwest, WorldCom and UnitedHealth.

Areas of Practice

• Asia Corporate
• Business Trial Group
• China Practice
• Cleantech and Energy
• Corporate
• Corporate and Transactional
• Due Diligence and Opinions
• Financial Services
• Information Technology
• Intellectual Property
• Intellectual Property Litigation
• International Arbitration
• International Litigation
• Investigations and Criminal Litigation
• Life Sciences
• Litigation
• Litigation and Enforcement
• Litigation/Controversy
• Manufacturing
• Nanotechnology
• Patent
• Securities
• Securities Litigation
• Technology Transactions and Licensing
• Venture Capital

Published Works

• Law360: Regulatory and Govt. Affairs Practice: WilmerHale, 2008
• California Lawyer: 2011 Roundtable Series: Intellectual Property, 2011
• Starting From Scratch: Building a Practice From the Ground Up
• 2011 IPO Report, 2011
• 2011 M&A Report, 2011
• 2011 Venture Capital Report, 2011
• Supreme Court Rejects Proving Loss Causation as a Requirement for Class Certification in Securities Fraud Class Actions, 2011
• A Practical Guide to International Joint Ventures, 2011
• Selected 2010 Public Offerings and Rule 144A Placements, 2011
• Selected 2010 Venture Financings As Company Counsel, 2011
• Selected 2010 M&A Transactions, 2011
• Know Your Rights: The Impact of US Sanctions Against Iran onYou, 2011
• Supreme Court Rejects "Bright-Line" Materiality Rule in Securities Cases, 2011
• SEC Provides Further Guidance on Cooperation Credit, 2011
• SEC's First Non-Prosecution Agreement Exemplifies Government Trend Toward Soliciting Cooperation, Raises New Questions, 2011
• SEC Proposes Definition of "Venture Capital Fund" and Other Rules to Implement the Private Fund Adviser Registration Provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, 2010
• 2010 IPO Report, 2010
• 2010 Venture Capital Report, 2010
• 2010 M&A Report, 2010
• Spotlight: M&A Trends In China, 2010
• Private Fund Manager Registration Act Signed into Law: Hedge Funds and Private Equity Funds Over $150M Required to Register; Venture Capital Funds are Not, 2010
• Selected 2009 Life Sciences Transactions, 2010
• Selected 2009 Venture Financings As Company Counsel, 2010
• Selected 2009 Public Offerings and Rule 144A Placements, 2010
• Selected 2009 M&A Transactions, 2010
• Selected 2009 Technology Transactions, 2010
• Selected 2009 Strategic Alliances, Joint Venture and Licensing Transactions, 2010
• Green IP: Avoiding Mistakes Of Technologies Past, 2010
• Law 360: Green IP: Avoiding Mistakes Of Technologies Past, 2010, 2010
• Recent Trends In Shareholder Derivative Litigation, 2010
• Law 360: Recent Trends In Shareholder Derivative Litigation, 2010, 2010
• House Passes Private Fund Investment Advisers Registration Act, 2009
• 2009 IPO Report, 2009
• 2009 Venture Capital Report, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Selected 2008 Life Sciences Transactions, 2009
• Selected 2008 Strategic Alliances, Joint Venture and Licensing Transactions, 2009
• Selected 2008 Venture Financings As Company Counsel, 2009
• Selected 2008 Public Offerings and Rule 144A Placements, 2009
• Selected 2008 Technology Transactions, 2009
• Selected 2008 M&A Transactions, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Recent Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Developments, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Funding Opportunities, 2009
• Lawyers Will Play a Direct Role in Developing Clean Tech Industry, 2009
• Los Angeles Daily Journal: Lawyers Will Play a Direct Role in Developing Clean Tech Industry, 2009, 2009
• Nationalreview.com:More Boumediene Fall-out: Judge Orders Release of Five Alleged Combatants, 2008, 2008
• Looking Ahead to 2009: Gramm-Leach-Bliley Countdown for Banks, 2008
• Law360: M&A Practice: WilmerHale, 2008, 2008
• New York Times: U.S. Is Set to Release 3 Detainees From Base, 2008, 2008
• Washington Post: Three Algerian Detainees Set for Transfer to Bosnia, 2008, 2008
• The Consolidated FINRA Rulebook: Current Status, December 15 Rollout, and Year-End Surprises, 2008
• FOXNEWS.COM: Federal Judge Orders Release of 5 Terror Suspects Held at Guantanamo Bay Prison, 2008, 2008
• New YorK Law Journal: Select Waiver, 2008, 2008
• Selective Waiver, 2008
• Washington Times: Federal Judge Orders Five Gitmo detainees freed, 2008, 2008
• Christian Science Monitor: US Judge orders five Guantanamo, 2008
• WashingtonPost.com: Another Falsehood Exposed, 2008, 2008
• The AmLaw Daily: Wilmer Kicks off Week of Detainee Case with win, 2008, 2008
• ADNKronos Internation: Bosnia: Wife urges Algerian Guantanamo inmates' release after US Judge's ruling, 2008, 2008
• Wall Street Journal: Al Qaeda Detainees and Congress's Duty; Habeas corpus hearings could set terrorists free inside the U.S, 2008
• Wall Street Journal: Judge Orders 5 Gitmo Inmates Released, 2008, 2008
• BalkanInsight.com: Five of "Algerian Six" Freed from Guantanamo, 2008, 2008
• Reuters: U.S Judge: Five Algerians at Guantanamo can be freed, 2008, 2008
• Los Angeles Times: Judge orders release of 5 Guantanamo prisoners, the government's case against five Algerian natives accused of plotting with Al Qaeda, is weak a federal judge in Washington says, 2008, 2008
• NPR: Judge Orders Release of 5 held at Guantanamo, 2008, 2008
• New York Times: Judge Orders Five Detainees Freed From Gauntanamo, 2008, 2008
• Reuters: Factbox-facts about the Guantanamo prison camp, 2008, 2008
• Salon.com: Five detainees ordeered released "forthwith" after seven years at Guantanamo," 2008, 2008
• Washington Post: Federal Judge Orders Relase of 5 Guatanamo Detainees, 2008, 2008
• The Guardian: Judge: Algerian prisoners held in Guantanamo must be freed Ruling By US Judge has far reaching implications for the remaining detainees at the base in Cuba, 2008
• WallStreetJournal.com: Judge Tells Gov't Not to Appeal Detainee Rulings; 7 Yrs of Waiting Enough", 2008
• ABC.com: Guantanamo detainees win court challenge, 2008, 2008
• CNN.com:Federal Judge Orders Release of 5 Guantanamo Detainees, 2008, 2008
• Bloomberg: U.S. Judge Orders Release of Five Held at Guantanamo, 2008, 2008
• AFP: Five Guantanamo detainees ruled illegally detained, 2008, 2008
• Al-Jazeera: Judge orders Guantanamo releases, 2008, 2008
• Associated Press: Judge orders release of 5 terror suspects at Gitmo, 2008, 2008
• BBC.COM: US Judge Orders Algerians Freed, 2008, 2008
• McClatchy Newspaper: Judge Orders release of 5 Guantanamo detainees, 2008, 2008
• USATODAY.com: Judge orders government to release five Gitmo prisoners, 2008, 2008
• Trends in the Private Equity Secondary Market, 2008
• Environmental Appeals Board Remands PSD Permit to EPA on Issue of CO2 Limits; Declines to Require CO2 Controls, 2008
• Los Angeles Daily Journal: Securities Litigation Hotspot, 2008, 2008
• Law360: Thelen IP Litigation Partner Jumps to WilmerHale, 2008
• Financial Institutions Developments: Treasury's TARP and Capital Purchase Program--Opportunities and Considerations for Participating Institutions, 2008
• Federal Trade Commission Delays Enforcement of "Red Flags Rule" for Certain Financial Institutions and Creditors, 2008
• SBA Office of Inspector General Scrutinizes Small Business Lenders: Lenders at Risk for Denial of SBA Loan Guarantees, 2008
• Los Angelas Daily Journal: Red State Approval, 2008, 2008
• Red State Approval, 2008
• Market Crisis--New Draft Legislation, 2008
• FASB to Reconsider Proposed Standard for Disclosure of Litigation Contingencies, 2008
• New York State and the SEC call for Urgent Regulation of Credit Default Swaps, 2008
• SEC Issues New Guidance on the Use of Company Websites, 2008
• President Bush Signs Federal Rule of Evidence 502 Into Law, 2008
• SEC Approves Revised Rule for Auditor Communications to Audit Committees About Independence, 2008
• SEC Imposes Additional Limits on Short Selling, 2008
• Patent Claims: Valid in Court, but Invalid in the PTO, 2008
• Congress Limits Subject Matter and Inadvertent Waivers for Attorney-Client Communications and Work Product, 2008
• NYSE and NASDAQ Amend Bright-Line Director Independence Tests, 2008
• Keeping Current with Form 8-K: A Practical Guide, 2008
• FCC Issues Long Awaited Comcast Order on Net Neutrality Violation, 2008
• RCRWireless: Analyst Angle: Be mindful of the legal restrictions on mobile ads, 2008, 2008
• Advertising Age: Analyst Angle: Be mindful of the legal restrictions on mobile ads, 2008, 2008
• SEC Approves New Interpretive Guidance Regarding the Use of Corporate Websites, 2008
• Los Angeles Daily Journal: Baker M&A Partner Moves to WilmerHale's Corporate Practice, 2008
• American Lawyer: Pro Bono 2008: Wilmer's Three-For-Three Supreme Court Wins, 2008, 2008
• Section 16 Reporting Gets a Little Easier, 2008
• SEC Extends Deadline for Smaller Public Companies to File Auditor Attestation Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting, 2008
• FASB Proposes Expanded Disclosure Standard for Loss Contingencies, 2008
• 2008 IPO Report, 2008
• 2008 M&A Report, 2008
• 2008 Venture Capital Report, 2008
• WilmerHale West Coast Securities Enforcement and Litigation Report, 2008
• Court Ruling Preserves Emerging Technology Collaboration, 2008
• M&A Implications of New Changes to Rules 144 and 145 -- SEC Delivers an Early Holiday Gift to M&A Deal Makers, 2007
• House of Representatives Passes H.R. 1908, the Patent Reform Act of 2007, 2007
• Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal: People to Watch, 2007
• The IP and Antitrust Intersection, 2007
• China Enacts National Competition Law, 2007
• WilmerHale scores Townsend IP Litigator, 2007
• Townsend Attorney Joins WilmerHale Crew, 2007
• GPL Version 3 Has Arrived! Now What?, 2007
• The Lessons of Leegin: Supreme Court Overturns 96-Year-Old Ban on Resale Price Maintenance, 2007
• Department of Justice Issues Notable Business Review Letter Concerning Leading Standards Development Organization’s IPR Policy, 2007
• Deals An Evolving Art - New Focus on Accounting Standards May Lead Companies to Revisit Deal-making Structures, 2007
• 2006 Antitrust and Competition Annual Report, 2007
• 2006 Venture Capital Report, 2007
• 2006 IPO Report, 2007
• 2006 M&A Report, 2007
• PharmaBulletin, 2007
• SEC and PCAOB Propose SOX 404 Relief Measures, Extend Compliance Dates, 2006
• 2005 Venture Capital Report, 2006
• 2005 M&A Report, 2006
• SEC Proposes Overhaul of Compensation Disclosure Rules, 2006
• China Practice Update, 2005
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2005
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2005
• 2005 Life Sciences Compensation Study, 2005
• 2005 Information and Technology Compensation Study, 2005
• 2004 Venture Capital Report, 2005
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2005
• 2004 M&A Report, 2005
• When the Public Does Not Have a Right to Know: How the California Public Records Act is Deterring Bioscience Research and Development, 2005
• Securities Law Update, 2004
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2004
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2004
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2004
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2003
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2003
• Maintaining Compliance with Updated EEOC Regulations, 2003
• TEACH Act Allows for Distance Education over the Internet, 2003
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2003
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2003
• Litigation Bulletin, 2002
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2002
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2002
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2002
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2002
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2002
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2002
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2002
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2002
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2002
• New Developments in Design Patents, 2002
• Corporate and Securities Law Update, 2002

Representative Cases

• Chambers & Partners: Chambers USA, 2010
• European Commission
• The Hartford

West Practice Categories

Alternative Dispute Resolution, Arbitration, Banking & Finance Law, Bankruptcy Litigation, Biotechnology, Business & Commercial Law, Business Organizations, Class Actions, Complex Litigation, Computer Law, Copyrights, Corporate Governance, Electronic Commerce, Energy Law, Federal Appellate Practice, Federal Claims Court, Federal Trial Practice, High Technology, Intellectual Property Law, International Intellectual Property, International Trade Litigation, Internet, Joint Ventures, Litigation & Appeals, Multidistrict Litigation, Patent Litigation, Patents, Patents, Pharmaceutical Products, Public Finance, Real Estate Law, Science & Technology Law, Securities Law, Securities Regulation, State Appellate Practice, State Trial Practice, Tax Litigation, Technology Licensing, Technology Licensing, Trade Dress, Trade Secrets, Trademarks, Transactions, US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, US Supreme Court, Venture Capital