In an effort to expand its intellectual property prowess and operations in New York, Polsinelli has picked up a new partner for its technology transactions and data privacy group.

William Tanenbaum, who most recently co-headed the technology transactions group at Arent Fox, will now serve as co-chair of the health care technology and innovation group at Polsinelli.

His new firm, which set up shop in the Big Apple in 2004, has grown rapidly in recent years through lateral hires, mass acquisitions and mergers. Polsinelli, whose roots are in Kansas City, Missouri, bolstered its intellectual property expertise two years ago after absorbing 44 lawyers from national IP boutique Novak Druce Connolly Bove + Quigg.

Earlier this month, Polsinelli brought on two corporate partners in Boston, as well as four more lawyers in Dallas from Gardere Wynne Sewell as the latter merged with Foley & Lardner. Those moves came on the heels of Polsinelli's addition of four venture capital and health privacy lawyers in Denver and Washington, D.C., along with a high-profile, five-lawyer IP team in Silicon Valley late last year from McDermott Will & Emery.

Polsinelli, which saw partner profits remain mostly flat last year, at $700,000, although gross revenue surged 8.2 percent, to roughly $475 million, is moving forward with its growth strategy.

“[Tanenbaum] will be a great addition to our New York office's strong and growing technology transactions, cybersecurity and data privacy work,” said a statement from Dan Flanigan, managing partner of Polsinelli's New York office. “His experience in creating innovative IT and IP structures to solve business problems, including in our current areas of strength such as health care and financial services, will be especially welcome.”  

Tanenbaum was traveling Friday and unavailable for immediate comment about his move to Polsinelli.

For the past three decades, Tanenbaum has worked with clients on transactions, litigation and strategic counseling within the IP, technology, cybersecurity and health care information technology space. He began his legal career in 1985 at now-defunct IP firm Kenyon & Kenyon, the bulk of which was absorbed in late 2016 by Andrews Kurth. The latter officially merged earlier this month with Hunton & Williams to form Hunton Andrews Kurth.

In 1996, Tanenbaum left Kenyon & Kenyon for Rogers & Wells, just three years before that firm finalized a combination with London-based Clifford Chance. Prior to the completion of that landmark deal, Tanenbaum was part of a group of several Rogers & Wells partners that left the New York firm for Kaye Scholer.

While at Kaye Scholer, which last year agreed to yet another merger with Arnold & Porter, Tanenbaum served as head of its IP and technology transactions group and head of the firm's greentech and sustainability practice in New York. Tanenbaum left Kaye Scholer in 2015 to join Arent Fox, where he led the technology transactions practice and was a member of the firm's health care group. Tanenbaum's focus on health care information technology is of strategic importance as Polsinelli looks to enhance its offerings to clients in the space.

“IT and data are transforming health care, and [Tanenbaum's] broad knowledge and experience in health care IT and other industries will enhance our ability to provide strategic advice to our health care clients on adopting and leveraging new technologies,” said a statement from Matthew Murer, chair of Polsinelli's health care practice.