Two Patent Litigators Join King & Spalding in New York

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Apr 23, 2012) - Veteran patent litigators Tony V. Pezzano and Michael P. Dougherty have joined the intellectual property practice of King & Spalding as partners in the New York office, the firm announced today. They joined King & Spalding from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, where Pezzano was a partner and Dougherty a special counsel.

"We are delighted to welcome Tony and Mike to our team. Their record of success in representing branded pharmaceutical companies in ANDA/Hatch-Waxman litigation and before the International Trade Commission provides additional depth and breadth to our IP practice," said Holmes J. Hawkins, III, leader of King & Spalding's intellectual property practice group. "Life sciences is an area of particular strength and strategic importance for our team, and their arrival significantly boosts our litigation capabilities in that area."

Pezzano and Dougherty both have more than 20 years' experience litigating patent cases before federal district courts throughout the United States and before the ITC. The two lawyers focus their practices on litigation involving Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and pharmaceutical litigation related to the Hatch-Waxman Act. Their clients in those areas have included Merck & Co., Hoffmann-La Roche, Schering Corporation and A.H. Robins Co. In addition, Pezzano has represented major clients in Section 337 proceedings before the ITC.

Pezzano received a J.D. degree from Hofstra University School of Law and a B.S. degree from Columbia University. He is a member of the executive committee and past president of the ITC Trial Lawyers Association. Dougherty received a J.D. degree from Marshall-Wythe School of Law, College of William & Mary, and a B.A. degree, cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University.

"Mike and I are excited to be part of King & Spalding's talented intellectual property practice group," said Pezzano. "The firm's broad intellectual property platform and its commitment to the pharmaceutical and life sciences practice area will enable us to grow our own practices while contributing to the continued success of the firm."

King & Spalding's patent litigators have been engaged actively in patent infringement litigation and trials for more than 25 years and have extensive trial experience in a variety of patent cases, including substantial experience litigating and trying ANDA cases under the Hatch-Waxman Act and cases before the International Trade Commission. The firm's patent litigation practice combines proven first-chair trial lawyers who are dedicated to patent work with a deep bench of technical specialists, including more than 70 Ph.D.s, engineers, scientists and programmers with decades of industry experience across diverse sectors and specialties. King & Spalding's patent trial lawyers routinely appear in U.S. district courts, including busy venues such as the Eastern District of Texas, the Central and Northern Districts of California, and Delaware. The firm has handled some of the largest ITC patent cases ever filed and has argued in appellate courts across the United States, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

About King & Spalding
Celebrating more than 125 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with 800 lawyers in 17 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and is consistently recognized for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com.