Pennie & Edmonds

Pennie & Edmonds
HeadquartersPalo Alto
WebsiteOfficial website

Pennie & Edmonds was a New York City-based boutique law firm that focused on all aspects of intellectual property law. The firm practiced from 1883 until December 31, 2003, when it dissolved.

History

The firm's dissolution came in the wake of boutique IP firms losing ground to general practice firms – and, perhaps more acutely, the loss of key rainmakers. These were mostly patent litigation partners who took their clients to full-service firms (see book of business).

The departure of rainmaker Jonathan A. Marshall did not bode well for the firm. Marshall, a litigator with clients such as Hewlett-Packard, joined Weil Gotshal & Manges in 2002. With the firm's lease up for renewal and its partners unwilling to personally guarantee it, Pennie & Edmonds began exploring the possibility of a merger with other firms. However, a pending lawsuit for legal malpractice against the firm may have dissuaded other firms from such a merger.[1] In the end, the firm's partners voted to dissolve the law firm.[2]

The Palo Alto office joined Philadelphia's Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, while much of the New York office joined Jones Day, a national firm.[3]

Marshall later rejoined another IP boutique firm, Fish & Richardson, which has been rapidly expanding into the General Practice arena.[4]

References

  1. ^ Marius Meland, "Lawsuit Looms as Pennie Plans to Wind Down", Law360, December 11, 2003
  2. ^ "Pennie & Edmonds closes down". MIP. 2004-02-01. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  3. ^ Anthony Lin, 'Pennie & Edmonds to Close Doors by Year's End', New York Law Journal, December 11, 2003.
  4. ^ Anthony Lin, 'Top Patent Litigator Returns to His Boutique Roots,' New York Law Journal, August 14, 2006.