October 15, 2014
THE LOS ANGELES DAILY JOURNAL
By Kibkabe Araya
LOS ANGELES – Three Southern California intellectual property litigators have left Dickstein Shapiro LLP for Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP.
Robert W. Dickerson Jr., a partner, now heads the IP practice at Manatt. Lawrence R. LaPorte joined as a partner in Los Angeles and Yasser M. El-Gamal did the same in Costa Mesa. All declined interview requests through a Manatt spokesman.
“Bringing in such a deeply credentialed and highly regarded team of IP lawyers fits perfectly with our strategic goals,” William T. Quicksilver, Manatt’s CEO and managing partner, said in a statement Tuesday.
“This group expands our capabilities in patent matters and broadens our intellectual property and litigation service offerings. Their impressive technical backgrounds complement our significant industry practices,” he added. “We are thrilled to welcome them to Manatt.”
The lawyers have represented clients in multiple areas of technology, including biotechnology, nanotechnology and aerospace technology.
Dickerson has more than 30 years of litigation experience focusing on patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets for Fortune 500 companies to startups. LaPorte mainly works with clients in the solar energy and automotive industries, while El-Gamal represents technology companies in the U.S. and abroad.
“Manatt’s impressive bench strength, expertise in a wide range of industries, and the extensive depth and breadth of practices make the firm an ideal fit for our evolving practices and the current needs of our clients,” Dickerson said in a statement.
Dickerson, LaPorte and El-Gamal were represented by Larry Watanabe of Watanabe Nason LLC in this move, according to the statement released by Manatt.
Jeffrey K. Sherwood, who leads Dickstein Shapiro’s IP practice group, wished his former colleagues well in a statement released Tuesday. He emphasized the firm still has 45 IP lawyers.
“Dickstein Shapiro is fortunate to have many deep, long-standing national and global client relationships due to our commitment to providing clients with the highest-caliber strategic counsel and litigation services,” he said.