Arnold & Porter Expands Its Presence In San Francisco, Silicon Valley

Patent Litigator Bob Taylor and International Arbitration Specialist Maria Chedid
Bolster Firm's Intellectual Property and International Arbitration Practices

San Francisco, October 5, 2010 -- Arnold & Porter LLP announced today that patent litigator Bob Taylor and Maria Chedid, an international arbitration lawyer with experience in IP-related disputes and an appellate specialist, have joined the firm in San Francisco.

"Bob is a leader of the IP bar and an experienced first-chair trial and appellate lawyer. He also strengthens our team of patent prosecutors and litigators who serve innovative technology companies in Silicon Valley," said Trent Norris, head of Arnold & Porter's San Francisco office. "Maria is active in the San Francisco international arbitration community and brings considerable appellate experience, notably in the area of federal preemption. We are delighted to have attracted such talented lawyers to our growing Northern California offices."

Mr. Taylor was the managing partner of the Palo Alto office at his former firm. In addition to patent litigation, he is widely recognized as a leading lawyer on antitrust issues involving intellectual property. He also has counseled numerous Silicon Valley companies and investors on intellectual property acquisition and litigation strategies. Mr. Taylor has dealt with a wide range of technologies, including electronics, software programs and systems, semiconductor manufacturing, microprocessors, organic chemical processes, surgical and other medical devices, digital signal processing, gene sequences, and DNA arrays used in pharmaceutical research. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a former chair of the Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association. He also has been recognized by Chambers USA, Who's Who Legal, and Best Lawyers in America. He received his JD from Georgetown University, where he was an editor of the Law Journal.

"Bob has a stellar reputation and longstanding client relationships in the Silicon Valley business community," said Ron Johnston, Los Angeles partner and co-head of Arnold & Porter's intellectual property practice group. "He has been lead trial counsel in patent cases involving a broad spectrum of technologies and brings a wealth of high-level experience to our IP litigation team on the West Coast."

Arnold & Porter's intellectual property group has more than 85 lawyers practicing in both the United States and the United Kingdom, including a West Coast patent prosecution team led by Ginger Dreger, which joined the firm in December 2009. The group handles complex IP counseling and litigation involving copyright disputes and arbitrations, patent infringement actions, patent procurement, and licensing transactions. The group has been recognized in Chambers USA, Chambers UK, and Practical Law Company's "Which Lawyer? Yearbook," among other publications.

Ms. Chedid has nearly 20 years of experience in private practice. She has represented clients in international arbitration proceedings before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the American Arbitration Association (AAA), the International Center for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, and the United Nations Compensation Commission. Her previous arbitrations have involved international licensing disputes, intellectual property ownership disputes, political risk insurance claims, breach of government contracts, shareholder disputes, and other private commercial contract disputes. Her practice is geographically diverse, extending to matters in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Ms. Chedid also has represented clients in U.S. courts in cases involving multi-jurisdictional and cross-border litigation issues. Ms. Chedid was recognized by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business 2010 for her work in international arbitration. She is a graduate of New York University School of Law.

"Maria's in-depth experience will help diversify our arbitration practice by giving us a presence on the West Coast, and it will also further strengthen our international commercial arbitration capabilities," said Paolo Di Rosa, head of Arnold & Porter's international arbitration practice group.

Arnold & Porter's international arbitration group, which consists of more than 40 lawyers, has been recognized by such publications as Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Chambers Latin America, The Legal 500, Global Arbitration Review, Latin Lawyer, and others. Most recently the practice group received a national No. 1 tier ranking for international arbitration by U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers.

Arnold & Porter LLP is an international law firm of more than 700 lawyers. Founded in 1946, the firm maintains more than 25 practice areas spanning a broad spectrum of the law, with a primary focus on litigation, transactional matters, and regulatory issues.