Pepper Hamilton has brought on Stephen Kong from Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, where he was chair of the technology transactions practice group.

Kong, whose resumé also includes an in-house stint working on matters involving Sony's PlayStation video game console, joined Pepper Hamilton's corporate and securities practice group as a partner last Friday. He will split his time between the firm's Los Angeles and Orange County offices.

“It was a good opportunity to help a national law firm expand in California,” Kong said. He noted that he previously worked with Greg Bishop, head of Pepper Hamilton's Silicon Valley office, when they were at Townsend and Townsend and Crew.

Kong focuses his practice on technology transactions, intellectual property licensing and value creation. He has been practicing law in California since the mid-1990s and worked both in-house and at law firms. Prior to joining Stradling Yocca in 2012, he served as senior corporate counsel for Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., where he led the entity's U.S. research and development and strategic business development groups, handling strategic licensing and content agreements issues for Sony PlayStation devices.

“Stephen has significant experience advising on transformative technology deals, as well as handling the IP aspects of important mergers and acquisitions across industries,” Mary Dickson, partner in charge of Pepper Hamilton's Los Angeles office, said in a statement.

According to the firm, Kong is the fourth lateral partner Pepper Hamilton has added to its Southern California offices in just over half a year. Last November, Pepper Hamilton has brought on Howard Privette, who chaired Greenberg Gross's class action practice and served as managing partner of the Southern California firm's Los Angeles office. Privette's hire followed the addition of David Allen and Derek Dundas to Pepper's corporate securities practice group last March. Allen joined the firm from K&L Gates, while Dundas was previously a partner at Rutan & Tucker.

“I and others think that Southern California's technology market will continue to grow,” Kong said. Kong said he plans on taking advantage of Pepper Hamilton's “really established practices” such private equity and health sciences, and its East Coast resources, to help the firm build out its footing in Southern California.

Stradling did not respond to a request for comment regarding Kong's departure.

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