Ropes & Gray confirmed this week the details of a spin-off of its patent prosecution practice, a landmark move unveiled by the firm in early March.

Haley Guiliano, a boutique firm specializing in patent prosecution and other intellectual property work, will officially separate from Ropes & Gray on Aug. 1. Joseph Guiliano, co-head of Ropes & Gray's IP rights management practice in New York, and senior counsel James Haley Jr., a biopharmaceutical and life sciences expert, will be the new firm's two name partners.

Shvarts & Leiz, a small shop formed in 2011 by former Ropes & Gray lawyers Alexander Shvarts and James Leiz, will then merge with Haley Guiliano. Shvarts & Leiz has offices in Wayne, New Jersey, and San Jose, California, the latter of which will be absorbed into Haley Guiliano, which will also have offices in New York and London, said Guiliano on Tuesday from the British capital, where he was scouting for office space.