Pierce Bainbridge Announces Explosive Growth In New York

NEW YORK, July 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the past month, Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP ("Pierce Bainbridge") has experienced explosive growth. Its New York office has added significant talent, including partners David L. Hecht, Andrew J. Lorin, Christopher N. Lavigne, Vanessa Biondo, Michael M. Pomerantz, Donald D. Lewis, Jonathan A. Sorkowitz, and Douglas S. Curran.

"The early growth trajectory of our firm is unprecedented," said firm Managing Partner John M. Pierce. "We are pioneering an entirely new way to litigate, and the market is responding. We are overloaded with new cases, and the litigation talent looking to join our platform is off the charts."

The following partners have joined the firm's New York office:

• David L. Hecht – Joins from Steptoe & Johnson and is a former Quinn Emanuel litigator who specializes in intellectual property litigation, including patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret matters.

• Andrew J. Lorin – Previously served as General Counsel of New York's Special Funds Conservation Committee, was a partner at Drinker Biddle and served as Section Chief in the New York Attorney General's Office.

• Christopher N. LaVigne – Former Skadden litigator, federal law clerk, and member of white-collar defense boutique Lankler, Siffert & Wohl, who recently served as Legal Counsel at Success Academy Charter Schools.

• Vanessa Biondo – Former Mayer Brown partner who won one of the highest trade secret jury awards in the history of New York.

• Michael M. Pomerantz – Former Grais & Ellsworth and Kaye Scholer litigator with deep experience in structured financial product litigation.

• Donald D. Lewis – Former Skadden litigator and head of the Enterprise legal team at WeWork Companies, Inc., widely considered one of the world's fastest growing companies.

• Jonathan A. Sorkowitz – Former White & Case litigator who joins from litigation boutique Skarzynski Black and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional.

• Douglas S. Curran – Joins from Covington & Burling and clerked on the United States Court of Appeals for the 11^th Circuit. Brings deep experience litigating complex commercial disputes across a variety of industries.

The New York office is co-managed by David L. Hecht, who also co-heads the firm's intellectual property practice. Hecht holds degrees in engineering, business, and law. He has represented some of the world's leading technology companies in high stakes litigation, including Samsung, Raytheon, and Huawei. Hecht was also a member of the trial team in one of the most well-known patent cases of all time, the "patent trial of the century," Apple v. Samsung, which he worked on with John Pierce, the founding partner of the firm. 

"David and I were at Quinn Emanuel together. Beyond his outstanding skills as a litigator, he has deep experience in management and growing businesses from the ground up," Pierce described. "David envisioned the New York office very soon after the firm launched. I'm thrilled to have David on board to help steer the ship."  

"Joining Pierce Bainbridge and reuniting with John [Pierce] is a breath of fresh air. What John has already accomplished with the firm is truly amazing. Talented lawyers are chomping at the bit to join us; we've been interviewing – and making offers to – exceptional lawyers with amazing pedigrees. I am confident we are going to continue to experience exponential growth and stay several steps ahead of any Biglaw firm by being nimble enough to adopt new technologies quickly," Hecht described.

Staying ahead of the curve gives Pierce Bainbridge a distinct advantage when pitching to new clients and moving cases forward. Most firms take years to adopt new technologies. By contrast, Pierce Bainbridge operates more like a tech startup, utilizing the latest tools and processes to ensure efficiency. From Slack for communication to agile project management, Pierce Bainbridge is looking for every edge it can find to battle its more traditional Biglaw rivals.  

For example, Hecht believes that patent groups at large firms are ill-equipped to compete with the uniquely talented and tech savvy Pierce Bainbridge team. "It's basic economics -- when there is a decrease in demand for your service, you don't keep hiking up your rates," Hecht says. Maxim Price, co-manager of the New York office and also a former Quinn Emanuel lawyer, shares this view and believes tremendous opportunity abounds. "Our efficient methods allow us to offer clients Biglaw talent and charge substantially less for it, and we offer flexible alternate fee arrangements that give people greater access to the justice system," Price describes.

The Pierce Bainbridge additions also include two Of Counsel with high-powered resumes: Conor McDonough, PhD, litigated at Paul Weiss and Ropes & Gray and has extensive experience representing clients across a range of diverse technologies, from bio/pharmaceuticals to electronic devices. He has represented Samsung, Motorola, Pfizer, Genentech, and (in one of the first suits under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act) Amgen. Jialin "Chuck" Zhong, PhD, is a former Bell Labs engineer with extensive experience procuring patents for some of the world's leading high-tech companies.

The firm has also recently added three top-tier associates: John R. Dillon IV from Brewer (formerly Bickel & Brewer), Bryant Lin from Paul Hastings, and Yi Wen Wu from Alston & Bird.

The firm already has an impressive stable of high-stakes, high-profile cases. It represents the "King of Bling," Chris Aire and his company Solid 21, Inc. in a trademark case involving the mark "Red Gold" against Hublot of America, Inc, a subsidiary of LVMH, scheduled for trial by the end of the year. It also represents Lenwood Hamilton a.k.a. "Hard Rock"/"Skip Hamilton," a former player on the Philadelphia Eagles, against Epic Games and Microsoft for misappropriating his likeness and voice in the Gears of War video games. On the trade secret front, Pierce Bainbridge represents Calendar Research in a case against StubHub, represented by Quinn Emanuel. The firm is also handling a major litigation for Joan Dangerfield (widow of Rodney Dangerfield), represents the former executive producers of the hit reality show Treehouse Masters in an eight-figure case, and is plaintiff's counsel in a dispute involving a finder's fee in connection with the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao "fight of the century."

Hecht is confident that the firm can dominate the most well-regarded firms out there. "We aren't just going to eat their lunch. We are going to raid the pantry and clean them out. We are relentless. We have our sights set on the top, and we're going to claw our way up, one case at time. We want to win by playing the game better than anyone else does, with more efficient preparation and superior collaboration. We see a future where Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP is the de facto go-to litigation firm for companies across the country -- and the world," Hecht said. 

About Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP
More information about Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP can be found on its website: www.piercebainbridge.com.

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