Pennie & Edmonds
| Headquarters | Palo Alto |
|---|---|
| Website | Official website |
Pennie & Edmonds was a New York City-based boutique law firm that focused on all aspects of intellectual property law. The firm practiced from 1883 until December 31, 2003, when it dissolved.
History[edit]
The firm's dissolution came in the wake of boutique IP firms losing ground to general practice firms – and, perhaps more acutely, the loss of key rainmakers. These were mostly patent litigation partners who took their clients to full-service firms (see book of business).
The departure of rainmaker Jonathan A. Marshall did not bode well for the firm. Marshall, a litigator with clients such as Hewlett-Packard, joined Weil Gotshal & Manges in 2002. With the firm's lease up for renewal and its partners unwilling to personally guarantee it, Pennie & Edmonds began exploring the possibility of a merger with other firms. However, a pending lawsuit for legal malpractice against the firm may have dissuaded other firms from such a merger.[1] In the end, the firm's partners voted to dissolve the law firm.
The Palo Alto office joined Philadelphia's Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, while much of the New York office joined Jones Day, a national firm.[2]
Marshall later rejoined another IP boutique firm, Fish & Richardson, which has been rapidly expanding into the General Practice arena.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ Marius Meland, "Lawsuit Looms as Pennie Plans to Wind Down", Law360, December 11, 2003
- ^ Anthony Lin, 'Pennie & Edmonds to Close Doors by Year's End', New York Law Journal, December 11, 2003.
- ^ Anthony Lin, 'Top Patent Litigator Returns to His Boutique Roots,' New York Law Journal, August 14, 2006.