April 3, 2015
THE RECORDER
By Patience Haggin
SAN FRANCISCO – Veteran patent litigator Michael Bettinger will join Sidley Austin’s San Francisco office on Monday. Members of Bettinger’s team at K&L Gates may follow.
Bettinger has defended major tech companies including Microsoft, Amazon, Kodak and Novatel in patent trials. In 2012, he beat back a $171 million patent case against Baxter Healthcare.
Sidley’s IP team has known Bettinger for quite a while, and originally made him an offer when he graduated law school in 1983, according to Sharon Flanagan, managing partner of the firm’s San Francisco office.
Flanagan said she could not discuss whether Bettinger’s team members or clients would be joining him. “We’re always looking for talented lawyers to join our IP team,” Flanagan said.
His team at K&L Gates already has some clients in common with Sidley’s IP team, M. Patricia Thayer, the leader of Sidley’s West Coast IP litigation practice, noted. Public records indicate both teams have handled cases for Microsoft.
Bettinger did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Legal recruiter Larry Watanabe, whose firm Watanabe Nason was involved in the transaction, placed Bettinger among “the most recognized and premier IP patent litigation partners in the country” noting he has tried 21 cases to verdict.