Patent lawyer Howard Shipley, who escaped punishment by the U.S. Supreme Court in March for a jargon-filled brief he had filed that was written mainly by his client, has left Foley & Lardner to become a partner at Gordon & Rees.

“Howard immediately adds capacity and depth to our IP capacity nationally and expands our practice offerings in the D.C. Office,” O'Kelly McWilliams, managing partner of the firm's Washington office, said in a written statement.

Foley spokeswoman Linda Yun did not explain why Shipley left, but said in a written statement, “We are grateful to Howard for his contributions at Foley and wish him well.” Shipley did not return a call for comment.