Ex-Irell Managing Partner Ellisen Turner Jumps to Kirkland
The patent lawyer is the eighth partner to leave the premium boutique in the last two months for firms with global reach.
October 21, 2019 at 06:47 PM
3 minute read
IP partner Ellisen Turner has left Irell & Manella for Kirkland & Ellis.
Turner is the eighth partner, and the second former managing partner, to leave the high-end Southern California boutique for a large international law firm in the last two months. He began at Kirkland on Monday.
"I haven't had in recent memory a significant IP matter where we didn't have to consult or execute on an international component," Turner said. While "Irell's platform is just fantastic," he said, with Kirkland he'll have that international expertise "under one roof."
Turner, 43, is primarily a patent litigator who also enjoys counseling clients on IP strategy, including maximizing the value of their technology investments during corporate transactions, when developing licensing programs, and in pre-litigation planning. The opportunity to "advise portfolio companies within Kirkland's broader private equity practice is really attractive," Turner said.
He said he was also drawn by Kirkland's commitment to diversity. Turner founded the National Bar Association's Diversity in Tech Awards, and was honored earlier this year by the California Minority Counsel Program for his commitment to improving diversity and inclusion in the legal community.
He won't have to move far to join Kirkland. Its Century City offices are just two blocks down Avenue of the Stars from Irell. That keeps him within walking distance of his home.
At Irell, Turner was part of a team that recovered more than $2 billion via litigation, settlements and licensing for TiVo Inc., and that represented T-Mobile in a patent infringement suit in the Southern District of New York.
Turner became Irell's managing partner in 2017 after his predecessor Andrei Iancu was nominated to lead the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Turner handed the reins over to IP partner David Gindler about a year later. Gindler and partners Gary Frischling, Lauren Drake and Yite John Lu left for Milbank in August, with Gindler citing Milbank's national and global presence as a driving factor.
Jason Linder, head of Irell's global investigations and anti-corruption practice, and partner Glenn Vanzura joined Mayer Brown last month. Jeffrey Reisner, head of the firm's bankruptcy practice, left for McDermott Will & Emery.
Irell's head count has dropped from 187 five years ago to 87 lawyers currently listed on the firm's website. Fourteen of them carry the title partner emeritus.
"While we are sorry to see Ellisen go, Irell & Manella continues to enjoy a highly profitable and productive year serving our clients," partner Ben Hattenbach, a member of the firm's management committee, said in a written statement.
The firm's partners are often sought out for prime opportunities in corporations, the judiciary and other law firms, he said. "Several partners have departed the firm recently to focus on building practices at the Los Angeles offices of large, multi-national firms," he said. "Irell offers a very different model and platform than these global firms, remaining well-positioned to handle the most complex matters while staying small enough to be nimble and provide focused value to our clients with excellence at every level."
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