Robinson+Cole is pleased to the announce the opening of an office in Washington, DC and welcomes four attorneys and a patent agent. William E. Bradley joins Robinson+Cole as a partner, along with other intellectual property attorneys including Kyle G. Hepner and David W. Leibovitch as counsel, and Daniel J. Lass as a Patent Agent. Jennifer Driscoll, an anti-trust and government investigations attorney who has spent over fifteen years working at prominent firms in Washington DC, recently joined the firm as counsel. The new office is located at 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
“Continuing to enhance our intellectual property and business litigation practices is another step in the execution of our strategic plan, which focused on expanding in major commercial centers,” said Rhonda J. Tobin, Managing Partner, Robinson+Cole. “We are excited to have added this talented group of professionals in a location that is meaningful for many clients who are expanding operations in the Washington metropolitan area.”
Opening the Washington, DC office coincides with Robinson+Cole’s planned expansion of its IP practice in the areas of patent litigation and patent prosecution. In October, Robinson+Cole welcomed a four-person team to its Intellectual Property + Technology Group led by partner John H. Mutchler in Hartford, Connecticut. Robinson+Cole’s entry into Washington, DC is consistent with its expansion in the Mid-Atlantic. In 2019, the firm opened offices in Wilmington and Philadelphia with the addition of a highly-regarded national bankruptcy practice led by Natalie D. Ramsey, a member of the Board of Regents of the American College of Bankruptcy. Those offices have tripled in size since opening.
Tobin notes: “Our firm will continue to look for opportunities to support our clients by growing in all of our geographies. We have a strong track record of integrating lateral attorneys into our firm so they feel like they belong and have the support they need to flourish. Part of our success as a firm for 177 years is ensuring that our existing attorneys and laterals find a home where they can grow their practices alongside other attorneys all pulling in the same direction. That one firm mentality results in excellent client support and service.”
William Bradley brings expansive knowledge and significant strength and background to his intellectual property practice. He offers his clients the rare combination of litigation and prosecution experience, providing them with the full range of intellectual property services as their matter requires. Bradley has litigated patents and other intellectual property rights relating to a wide variety of technologies for more than 20 years. His breadth of experience includes being involved in more than 75 intellectual property lawsuits in federal and state courts, courts of appeal, and before the International Trade Commission. Bradley has been first chair and/or lead counsel in a number of high-profile cases, has drafted more than 100 patent applications and prosecuted numerous others in the areas of consumer goods, automobile manufacturing, technology, and electrical/electronic products manufacturing, among others, for some of the world’s leading companies in those varied industries. Prior to joining Robinson+Cole Bradley was a partner at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP in Washington, DC.
Jennifer Driscoll joined the firm as a counsel in the firm’s Business Litigation Group where she will be working in both the Firm’s New York City and Washington DC offices. With nearly two decades of experience at international law firms, including stints in New York, Paris, and London, Driscoll is a prominent antitrust attorney who handles antitrust litigation for both national and international companies, including those headquartered in Japan and Taiwan. Driscoll is a skilled counselor who provides support for companies in mergers and acquisitions, including Hart-Scott-Rodino compliance. Driscoll’s experience also includes handling internal and government investigations in a broad range of compliance areas, including the False Claims Act, Federal Trade Commission matters, and SEC investigations, among other things.
Kyle Hepner, who also joins Robinson+Cole from Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, represents clients in a broad range of areas concerning intellectual property, with a practice focus on patent litigation, Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings, and the preparation and prosecution of U.S. and international utility and design patent applications. His experience includes successful outcomes in patent and trademark district court litigation, Federal Circuit appeals, and PTAB proceedings. Hepner has a strong background in drafting and prosecuting patent applications as well as international patent portfolio management. He advises clients on the emerging Intellectual Property issues in blockchain, NFT, and other distributed ledger technologies, offering critical insights and experience in a range of areas, including mechanical and electromechanical devices, manufacturing systems and methods, pneumatic and hydraulic systems, as well as optics, lasers, and designs.
David Leibovitch focuses his practice on the prosecution of utility and design patent applications, freedom-to-operate and invalidity opinions, post-grant proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and District Court patent litigation. He further conducts intellectual property due diligence investigations to assist with mergers and acquisitions. David counsels clients in mechanical, electromechanical, optical and electrical technologies. He also advises software innovators, particularly in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Leibovitch assists Fortune 500 companies, medium-sized enterprises, small businesses and micro-entities with a range of patent matters. He is a native French speaker and regularly collaborates on U.S. patent law with clients and colleagues in the United States and abroad. Prior to joining Robinson+Cole, Leibovitch was counsel at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC.
Daniel Lass is a Patent Agent with a concentration on the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in electro-mechanical and mechanical-related areas and other disciplines. Prior to joining Robinson+Cole, Lass was with Nixon & Vanderhye P.C. and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
About Robinson+Cole
Robinson+Cole is an AmLaw 200 law firm established over 177 years ago, with a deeply-rooted culture of collaboration, civility and inclusion. The Mansfield Rule Certified-firm has 250 attorneys in eleven offices throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Florida and California, serving regional, national, and international clients, from start-ups to Fortune 50 companies. Robinson+Cole is a service mark of Robinson & Cole LLP. For more information, please visit www.rc.com.
Recognitions + Rankings
- Robinson+Cole ranks #180 in the 2022 AmLaw 200.
- Rhonda Tobin selected for recognition as “Managing Partner of the Year” as part of Corporate Counsel’s 2022 Women, Influence and Power in Law Awards.
- Robinson+Cole was the only law firm presented with the 2019 President’s E-Award, the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the U.S. expansion of U.S. Exports.
- Robinson+Cole has been Mansfield Rule certified for three consecutive years.
- Robinson+Cole highly ranked among 50 law firms in the country listed in the 2023 Best Law Firms to Work For as part of Vault’s Law Firm Quality of Life Rankings.
- Robinson+Cole Receives 43 First-Tier Metropolitan Rankings and Four National Rankings in Latest U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms.”