Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough has hired two veteran IP attorneys in New York and Boston from Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo.

The firm announced this week that Kongsik Kim and John Bauer joined Nelson Mullins as partners in its intellectual property group. Bauer will be based in New York, while Kim will be based in Boston. Previously, they were both members at Mintz. Kim also led Mintz's Korea practice.

The new hires are a further sign that the IP legal market remains competitive. And the additions further expand Nelson Mullins's intellectual property offerings. The firm hired IP attorneys Tom Engellenner and Reza Mollaaghababa from Pepper Hamilton in March as well as Nathan Hartland from Miles & Stockbridge and David Mannheim from Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton in late 2018, both of whom also have IP experience.

Mintz's intellectual property offerings also changed during the last year. The firm added IP and life sciences attorney Karen Won from Cooley in September and hired corporate team member Ed Pease, who has experience with intellectual property protection, from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr in March.

In a statement, Mark Dukes, leader of Nelson Mullins's intellectual property group, said that Kim and Bauer are well known in the intellectual property community and "will bring great skill sets to our team and our clients."

Bauer is a patent litigator with experience at district courts, Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Patent Trial and Appeal Board and Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. He has represented companies in the pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic, industrial equipment and telecommunication spaces, as well as universities.

Kim advises Asian clients who seek IP protection in the U.S. He also provides strategic advice to startups and other companies on how to start and grow businesses and managing offensive and defensive IP portfolios. He has experience rendering legal opinions, conducting due diligence investigations, drafting and negotiating trade agreements and litigating various IP rights.

Nelson Mullins representatives, including Bauer and Kim, could not be reached for comment Thursday on the move. Representatives from Mintz did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the departures.

|

Read More:

Nelson Mullins Picks Up 3-Partner Team From CKR Law