Holland & Hart is delighted to announce that its IP team has achieved three firm rankings and ten individual partner rankings in the 2015 IAM Patent 1000 report.
Rankings at a glance
Firms
- Gold Tier - Litigation and Transactions - Colorado
- Recommended - Patent Prosecution - Colorado
- Gold Tier - Patents - Utah
Individuals
Colorado
- Highly Recommended - Michael Drapkin - Patent Prosecution
- Recommended - Tracy Gray - Transactions
- Gold Tier - Donald Degnan - Litigation
- Gold Tier - Timothy Getzoff - Litigation
- Silver Tier - Jane Michaels - Litigation
- Silver Tier - James Hartley - Litigation
Utah
- Highly Recommended - Grant Foster - Patent Prosecution
- Recommended - Bryan Pratt - Patent Prosecution
- Gold Tier - Brett Foster - Litigation
- Silver Tier - Mark Miller - Litigation
IAM Patent 1000 commentary in detail
Holland & Hart - Colorado
“For a regional firm doing regional business, Holland & Hart is hard to beat.” The Denver stalwart has all bases covered and is one of only two outfits with top-tier individuals on both the litigation and prosecution tables. That four of its practitioners win recognition for their dispute resolution savvy is a further distinction.
Heavyweight litigator and IP head Don Degnan “has outstanding courtroom skills and the right demeanour for the task. One of the biggest challenges for a trial lawyer is to know when not to ask the next question and when to sit down, and he has a great sense of that. Creative and bright, he produces work of the highest quality and can be recommended to anyone.”
Joining Degnan in the gold tier this year is the “incredibly smart” Timothy Getzoff: “He doesn’t sweat the small stuff, but sees the big picture in a way that enables him to get brilliant results. He is a great strategist with a terrific legal mind, while also being quick on his feet in court.”
A fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, veteran advocate James Hartley is “the best trial lawyer I’ve ever seen in court,” according to one happy client: “Well prepared and terrifically eloquent, judges never lose interest when he’s talking.”
Jane Michaels brings decades of experience to the table and has a superb track record in complex patent, trademark and trade secret cases. When it comes to prosecution, the firm’s innovative approach to backend management and workflow systems has yielded tangible efficiencies; its streamlined offering makes life easy for IP-rich clients.
At the helm is the inimitable Michael Drapkin, who in just a few short years “has turned what was a virtually non-existent practice into a significant factor”. “On a fundamental level, he is such a nice guy and he’s extremely sharp when it comes to helping clients get the most possible bang for their IP dollar.” He is also “super-energetic” and a “real giver to the wider IP community”.
Technology and patent transactional know-how comes in the form of Tracy Gray, a leading light on issues at the intersection of IP, privacy and consumer protection law. “She’s a total business partner and great to rely on if you have a lean in-house legal team. She’s practical, understands business, maintains a good support staff, manages things economically and is frankly fun to be with. Moreover, she’s a tough negotiator who doesn’t put up with any nonsense.”
Holland & Hart - Utah
Mountain States titan Holland & Hart boasts a strong concentration of IP attorneys in its Utah office. Healthy cross-pollination between the prosecution and litigation practices helps practitioners to see the big picture. “The firm and its partners and staff have provided excellent legal advice while representing our interests in North America and globally with respect to our foreign prosecution matters. It has provided and continues to provide cost-effective representation in a very collegial environment.”
Personifying the cooperation between the contentious and non-contentious groups are brothers Grant Foster and Brett Foster. Grant’s talents as a patent attorney have seen him secure countless registrations across an impressive range of industries; while Brett relishes the cut and thrust of high-stakes litigation and appeals.
Mark Miller is also dual qualified as an attorney and lawyer, a combination which makes him particularly adept at re-examination proceedings.
Additional strength comes from ace prosecutor Bryan Pratt: “He is extremely responsive in meeting short deadlines posed by the competitive business environments his clients operate in and adjusts his processes to meet their changing needs. He is also proactive in making suggestions to improve workflow and closely supervises his team to ensure standards are met.”
To see the rankings in full, please visit the IAM Patent 1000 rankings website here.