Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

 

Seyfarth Shaw has beefed up its intellectual property strength in Houston by hiring partners Lisa Meyerhoff and Myall Hawkins from Baker McKenzie.

Meyerhoff led Baker McKenzie's IP team in Houston, and previously was the managing partner of the Houston office. Meyerhoff and Hawkins work together, tackling IP litigation, handling licensing and counseling clients. Both are registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Brian Michaelis, a partner in Boston who is chairman of Seyfarth's IP practice, said Meyerhoff and Hawkins are “terrific” patent litigators who are well-prepared to handle IP issues for clients.

“This dynamic team is a huge asset to our IP practice as we continue to serve emerging industries in Houston and nationally,” Michaelis said in a statement.

Mark Coffin, managing partner of Seyfarth's Houston office, stated that the two partners are known in the Houston business community for their legal talent.

Lisa Meyerhoff

“They bring an elite practice and superior talent to our national IP practice group and the Houston office,” Coffin said.

Meyerhoff said their move to Seyfarth in Houston will help the firm build up IP coverage in the southwest.

“We look at it as a complete bridge between the West Coast and the East Coast,” she said.

Meyerhoff, who practiced at Baker McKenzie for 14 years, said she and Hawkins had been approached frequently by other firms because IP is a hot market in Houston. But the opportunity to join Seyfarth stood out.

“Seyfarth is an international firm, with international offices, but still a very nimble firm. By nimble, it's incredibly forward-thinking,” she said, noting that the hiring process took only two months,

Meyerhoff declined to identify their clients but said they do work throughout the country.

Jonathan Newton, managing partner of Baker McKenzie's Houston office, wrote in an email that the firm wishes the lawyers well. ”We thank Lisa and Myall for all their contributions to Baker McKenzie and the intellectual property practice over the years,” he said.

Seyfarth opened its Houston office in 1995, and its head count has grown to more than 40 lawyers. Other lateral hires in Houston this year include Scott Nelson, a labor and employment partner who also moved from Baker McKenzie, and Janice Suchyta, a former general counsel and chief strategy officer for AccessHealth who joined as a corporate counsel.