LeClairRyan Enhances Intellectual Property, Bankruptcy, and Commercial Litigation Practices with the Addition of Six Shareholders and a Team of Partners, Associates, Technical Specialists and Professional Staff

RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In further support of its client-driven business focus, the national law firm LeClairRyan has announced the establishment of a Rochester, N.Y. office through the addition of former Nixon Peabody attorneys and staff who will expand upon the firm's capabilities in intellectual property, bankruptcy and commercial litigation matters. This move bolsters LeClairRyan's current IP, bankruptcy and litigation practices, while also creating opportunities for clients of the firm nationally.

The new Rochester office, located at 290 Linden Oaks, officially opened on December 31, 2010. Attorneys joining this office as IP team shareholders include Michael Goldman, Gunnar Leinberg, Ted Merkel and Andrew Zappia, all of whom handled patent prosecution, post-issuance patent matters and IP litigation as partners at Nixon Peabody. Goldman will join LeClairRyan's board of directors and Zappia will serve as the Rochester office leader.  

Also joining the newly created Rochester office as Litigation team shareholders are Greg Mascitti and Rick McGuirk.  Mascitti, who will also work out of LeClairRyan's New York City office, previously handled financial restructuring, bankruptcy and commercial litigation matters as a partner at Nixon Peabody.  McGuirk previously handled IP, commercial and securities litigation as a partner at Nixon Peabody.

Attorneys joining LeClairRyan's IP and litigation practices as partners include: Wendell Harris and Tate Tischner in Rochester, N.Y.; Shelley Jones in Washington, D.C.; Jeff Townes in Alexandria, Va.; Suvashis Bhattacharya in San Francisco, Calif.; and Georgia Evans in Chicago, Ill. The firm expects to continue growing its IP practice in all of these markets.

Additional attorneys, technical specialists and staff members will join LeClairRyan along with these shareholders and partners. Overall, approximately 34 attorneys and professional staff will be joining the firm.

These expansions serve as an integral part of LeClairRyan's strategic national client support initiative, and specifically its Northeast initiative, which began in 2006 with the opening of its New York City office, followed by a significant commitment to increased capabilities in the region through the additions of major offices in Boston, Mass., Newark, N.J., and Hartford and New Haven, Conn.

LeClairRyan Chairman and CEO Gary D. LeClair commented: "Our focus on adding exceptional talent to enhance our firm's growing capabilities is driven by a single goal: to meet the ever-evolving needs of our clients. With the addition of these nationally prominent IP, bankruptcy and commercial litigation practices, we are able to provide our clients with a greater depth, breadth and reach of representation, especially in the biotech, pharmaceutical, software, electronic, chemistry and physical science communities."

About LeClairRyan

Founded in 1988, LeClairRyan provides business counsel and client representation in corporate law and high-stakes litigation.  With offices in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C., the firm has approximately 325 attorneys representing a wide variety of clients throughout the nation.  For more information about LeClairRyan, visit www.leclairryan.com.

SOURCE LeClairRyan