Adding onto a string of hires in Los Angeles, DLA Piper has brought on a former Boies Schiller Flexner partner to bolster its intellectual property and technology practice.

Partner Michael Jay has joined the global firm's Century City office, where he will work closely with partner Eric Hagen, who was formerly head of the trade secrets practice at McDermott Will & Emery.

“I have practiced in Los Angeles my entire career for the last 15 years, I know the market well. I know the judges, the legal field in Los Angeles,” Jay said. “I thought that I would really add value to DLA Piper's effort to strengthen its patent practice in that particular geographic location.”

Jay's practice primarily involves IP litigation and strategy. He has represented a wide range of clients in trials and appellate proceedings, in cases involving technologies such as telecommunication and wireless communication protocols, smartphones and computer software.

“We are thrilled to welcome Michael to the firm, where he will play an important role in strengthening our growing intellectual property and technology practice in Los Angeles, along with Eric Hagen, who joined the firm in July,” said a statement from Stuart Liner, co-managing partner of DLA Piper's Los Angeles area offices. “His experience will enable us to strengthen our IPT practice offerings and better serve the patent litigation needs of our clients on the West Coast.”

Since completing its merger with 60-lawyer Liner LLP in 2017, DLA Piper has been particularly focused on Los Angeles. According to DLA Piper, the roughly 3,600-lawyer firm currently has about 95 lawyers in Los Angeles, including 66 in Century City and 29 in its downtown office.

DLA Piper's most recent additions include a pair of former Greenberg Traurig partners, Thomas Ara and Robert Sherman, who now co-chair the firm's entertainment finance practice.

“Not only is DLA Piper strong in the patent area, [but] in Los Angeles in particular it also has a strong entertainment practice,” Jay added. With his experience representing companies on patent matters, Jay said there is a “good synergy” between his work and DLA Piper's entertainment work.

“I think there is going to be an increase in tech and patent litigation matters in the Central District [and] Southern California,” Jay said. “There is real value to be[ing] close by and near my clients.”

Jay has spent much of his legal career in Big Law. Before moving over to Boies Schiller in 2012, he was at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr for four years. Prior to that, he worked as an associate at O'Melveny & Myers and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

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