Pillsbury Takes 2 More From K&L Gates, Bolstering IP Practice on Both Coasts
Eric Rusnak and Ranjini Acharya have joined the New York-based firm's technology practice as partners in its Washington, D.C., and Palo Alto offices, respectively.
July 15, 2019 at 06:12 PM
3 minute read
Shortly after nabbing K&L Gates' Silicon Valley leader, intellectual property lawyer Michael Zeliger, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman has recruited two more K&L Gates IP practitioners, Eric Rusnak and Ranjini Acharya.
Rusnak and Acharya have joined the New York-based firm's technology practice as partners in its Washington, D.C., and Palo Alto offices, respectively. While Rusnak is based in the nation's capital, he said he will work closely with his colleagues in Silicon Valley.
“We worked very closely together for a number of years,” Rusnak said. “There is a certain energy we bring to our cases, we think clients really appreciate that. So, the opportunity to continue to work together was one that was very attractive to us.”
Rusnak primarily advises clients in the technology sector on patent, trade secret, copyright, false advertising and other IP disputes. Prior to the move, he spent his entire 15-year legal career at K&L Gates, where he served as practice group coordinator for the firm's IP litigation practice.
Acharya joined K&L Gates in 2012 after finishing her Master of Laws degree at Stanford University. She represents technology companies in complex IP disputes in U.S. courts and before the International Trade Commission.
“We found that a lot of our clients are West Coast-based, [and] have significant West Coast operations, but they have a lot of East Coast needs,” Rusnak said. “I think that providing clients with a cohesive team that has the presences both in Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., is something that is attractive to them.”
Acharya added, “We have worked closely for a long time, but each of us has a unique skill set.”
“One of the things that I think we're going be looking forward to doing is offering the fact that we worked together as a team, but also the individual experience that we each have, and finding ways to help Pillsbury's client leverage that,” she said.
Firmwide, Pillsbury has 81 IP attorneys across practices. Jack Barufka, head of Pillsbury's IP practice, said in a statement: “To support client demand, we have made a concerted effort over the past few years to increase our ITC and litigation capabilities in Northern California.”
“The addition of Eric, Ranjini and Mike—together with the notable recent growth of our San Francisco IP practice—positions us extremely well to meet that growing need,” he added. “This is a highly capable team of lawyers who know each other extremely well and present unique synergies with the rest of our practice.”
A spokesman for K&L Gates did not respond to a request for comment on Rusnak and Acharya's move.
|Read More
K&L Gates Palo Alto Office Head, IP Co-Leader Leaves for Pillsbury
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllDog Gone It, Target: Provider of Retailer's Mascot Dog Sues Over Contract Cancellation
4 minute readRead the Document: 'Google Must Divest Chrome,' DOJ Says, Proposing Remedies in Search Monopoly Case
3 minute readOpenAI, NYTimes Counsel Quarrel Over Erased OpenAI Training Data
Meta Seeks Declaratory Judgment in VR Eyewear Tech Patent Infringement Case
Trending Stories
- 1Legaltech Rundown: LexisNexis Releases Lexis+ AI Mobile App, Hotshot Launches New M&A Training Simulation, and More
- 2Perkins Coie Boasts Diverse Partner Class
- 3NY Judge Indefinitely Delays Sentencing in Trump Hush Money Case
- 4US Supreme Court Tries to Define a 'Crime of Violence'
- 5How I Made Practice Group Chair: 'Think About Why You Want the Role, Because It Is Not an Easy Job,' Says Aaron Rubin of Morrison Foerster
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250