President Trump has announced his intention to nominate Irell & Manella partner Andrei Iancu to be director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Iancu would succeed Michelle Lee, who resigned in June. Joseph Matal is leading the office on an interim basis.

Iancu's name has been mentioned for months as a possible PTO director, along with former Johnson & Johnson IP chief Philip Johnson and others. He brings big chops as patent litigator, with much of it on behalf of patentees. For Irell, the appointment means the loss of one of its top rainmakers.