Contact Information: Contact: Ashley Kanigher 650-843-5721 akanigher@cooley.com
Cooley Further Strengthens IP Litigation Practice in San Diego
| Source: Cooley Godward Kronish LLP
SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - June 17, 2008) - Cooley Godward Kronish LLP announced today
that John M. Benassi will join the Firm as a partner in the Intellectual
Property practice group. He will be based in Cooley's San Diego office.
Benassi will join Cooley from the San Diego office of Heller Ehrman.
"John has built a well-deserved reputation as a go-to IP litigator and we
are confident that he will continue to attract mission-critical IP cases
given the opportunities that abound, particularly in the life sciences
sector," said Fred Muto, partner in charge of Cooley's San Diego office.
A litigator for the last 28 years, Benassi's practice will continue to
focus on patent matters, specifically cases involving ANDA, medical device
litigation and other high-stakes IP litigation involving software,
wireless, video compression, encryption and communications technology.
Benassi will join former Heller partner and IP litigator Jessica Wolff, who
moved to Cooley last week. Together with the existing IP team, they will
expand Cooley's IP litigation practice in San Diego, throughout Southern
California and nationally.
"I am delighted to be joining Cooley," said Benassi. "The Firm's leading
corporate, life sciences and intellectual property practices provide a
pronounced opportunity for my practice both locally and nationally."
Benassi has represented clients in both State and Federal trials and
appeals courts in technologies ranging from internet commerce to
semiconductors, to medical devices and biotechnology. He attended the
University of Illinois where he earned a B.S. in Engineering in 1971 and
was awarded his J.D., cum laude, from George Washington University School
of Law in 1974. He clerked in the trial division of the U.S. Claims Court
assisting in the trial and decision of patent infringement cases brought
against the U.S. Government. He is admitted to practice before the Patent
and Trademark Office (PTO).
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MA.