Olswang's former interim CEO opts against CMS-Nabarro merger to join Simmons
Simmons seals hire of Olswang European patent litigation head Burdon
March 20, 2017 at 10:23 AM
2 minute read
Simmons & Simmons has recruited Olswang's former interim CEO Michael Burdon as an intellectual property (IP) partner in London.
Burdon – who took charge of Olswang for a seven-month period following the surprise exit of former longstanding leader David Stewart in late 2014 – is head of the firm's European patent litigation team and an elected board member.
He has been at Olswang since 2002, after joining as a partner from Eversheds.
He will join Simmons on 2 May, the day after Olswang's three-way merger with CMS UK and Nabarro goes live on 1 May. It is understood that a client conflict was a key reason behind Burdon's decision to opt against joining the merged firm.
His exit marks the third partner departure from Olswang's IP practice since news of the merger broke last September. In November, Dentons recruited patent prosecution group co-chair Justin Hill, while life sciences co-head Stephen Reese joined Clifford Chance in October.
Burdon's exit will leave Olswang with 14 IP partners in London and 19 globally, according to its website. The practice is led by London partner Joel Barry, who took over from Paul Stevens in 2015 when Stevens stepped up to take the CEO role at the firm, succeeding Burdon.
Simmons IP head Rowan Freeland said: "There are a number of key issues affecting clients today, including the arrival of the Unified Patent Court later this year. Michael is a highly skilled patent litigator and a really nice guy, and I look forward to working with him."
Burdon added: "Simmons will provide a great home for my clients. I have admired the firm and the IP team a little enviously from afar. The next few years will be a very interesting time for patent litigation in Europe."
The hire follows a spate of exits from Simmons' IP practice. Last year, Allen & Overy recruited four Simmons IP partners in London, including Mark Heaney, David Stone, former London IP head Marc Doering and Marjan Noor.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Bird & Bird Steers Katjes in Bittersweet Dispute with Lindt & Nestlé Over Vegan Chocolate Patent
Bird & Bird CEO Christian Bartsch: ‘We Aim to Become a Billion-Euro Firm’
Newly-Appointed Kirkland Clinches Victory at Supreme Court in Longrunning Sky Feud
3 minute read
Latham Suffers Latest Departure as Skadden Swoops for London IP Head
2 minute readTrending Stories
- 1GC Pleads Guilty to Embezzling $7.4 Million From 3 Banks
- 2Authenticating Electronic Signatures
- 3'Fulfilled Her Purpose on the Court': Presiding Judge M. Yvette Miller Is 'Ready for a New Challenge'
- 4Litigation Leaders: Greenspoon Marder’s Beth-Ann Krimsky on What Makes Her Team ‘Prepared, Compassionate and Wicked Smart’
- 5A Look Back at High-Profile Hires in Big Law From Federal Government
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
