Pictured, from left, are Michael Kwun, Asim Bhansali and Kate Lazarus.

Three more litigators have left high-profile litigation boutique Keker, Van Nest & Peters to launch their own firm in San Francisco.

Kwun Bhansali Lazarus' founding members are Michael Kwun, Asim Bhansali and Kate Lazarus, all of whom started at their new firm on Tuesday. Bhansali was a partner at Keker Van Nest, Kwun of counsel at the firm and Lazarus an associate. Kwun said the group came together because of their shared interest in embarking on a new venture.

“The three of us have worked together in cases before,” Kwun said. “Just along the way, we realized that all of us were interested in trying something new and maybe something a little bit more entrepreneurial.”

Their three-member firm plans to focus on patent, copyright, trademark, antitrust and commercial disputes.

“I have a great interest myself in technology,” said Kwun, indicating that Kwun Bhansali Lazarus is likely to take on a number of matters related to technology companies. “I was in-house at Google. I have been attracted to issues in technology.”

Kwun first joined Keker Van Nest in 2000, but left the firm four years later to become an in-house lawyer at Google Corp., where he held a number of roles, including managing counsel for litigation. Kwun left the internet search giant in 2008 to join the Electronic Frontier Foundation as a senior intellectual property attorney. He returned to Keker Van Nest in 2009.

Bhansali has been a partner at Keke Van Nestr since 2004, when he joined the firm after serving as a partner at Smyser Kaplan & Veselka, a small shop based in Houston. Bhansali said his previous experience having been one of the first lawyers in the door at a smaller firm will help him and his colleagues navigate a competitive market for boutiques in the Bay Area.

“We are trial lawyers and litigators who handled cases in federal and state courts, and the administrative bodies,” Bhansali said. “Given where we are and the kind of work we do, we do anticipate a focus on technology-oriented disputes.”

Lazarus, who joined Keker Van Nest as an associate in 2012, plans to help guide her new firm's clients through complex and emotionally charged cases.

“The transition was very smooth,” said Lazarus about leaving Keker Van Nest to start her new firm. “Our colleagues at Keker were extremely supportive and excited for us, and we will continue to co-counsel on several matters with them.”

She noted that Kwun Bhansali Lazarus will continue to work with former clients at Keker Van Nest, such as Google, Facebook Inc., Limelight Networks Inc. and T-Mobile US Inc., the latter of which made headlines Monday for its proposed $26.5 billion acquisition of wireless industry rival Sprint Corp.

Steven Taylor, managing partner of Keker Van Nest, which added partner Elliot Peters to its shingle in late 2016, wished the three departing litigators well at their new firm and encouraged his firm's current lawyers to pursue their passions, especially if it involves some kind of new endeavor.

“Our firm was born in an entrepreneurial spirit from John Keker and Bill Brockett almost 40 years ago,” Taylor said. “We appreciate that Michael, Asim and Kate are wanting to try it on their own, so we wish them success and hope for the best for them, and we will be working with them.”

Keker Van Nest has lost at least two partners this year in Quyen Ta, who jumped to Boies Schiller Flexner in January, and Ashok Ramani, who left the firm shortly thereafter for Davis Polk & Wardwell. Keker Van Nest's Taylor said that the recent spate of departures is not a concern.

“We haven't lost anything that compromises our competitive edge,” Taylor said. “We feel very good about our place right now and future with the partners we have here.”

Keker Van Nest, of course, has lost partners before. In 2009, former partners Daralyn Durie and Ragesh Tangri left the firm to form what is now called Durie Tangri. On Monday, Durie Tangri announced a new Los Angeles office to be led by former Boies Schiller partner Michael Proctor.