Premier litigation boutique firm Durie Tangri has joined leading global firm Morrison Foerster. Durie Tangri’s arrival further strengthens Morrison Foerster’s intellectual property, complex civil litigation, and trial capabilities.
SAN FRANCISCO (January 3, 2023) – Leading global law firm Morrison Foerster and premier litigation boutique Durie Tangri today announced the completion of their combination. Durie Tangri’s lawyers further strengthen Morrison Foerster’s intellectual property, complex civil litigation, and trial capabilities. The combination cements Morrison Foerster’s position as a premier global IP and patent powerhouse, further strengthening the firm’s position at the forefront of technology and life sciences.
Durie Tangri has been recognized as a premier trial practice, representing clients in diverse areas of complex litigation, including IP (patent, trademark, and copyright), professional liability, privacy, white-collar crime and investigations, contract and commercial matters, and class actions. Recent notable representations include several post-COVID jury trial victories in 2021 and 2022, such as: a defense verdict for Activision Blizzard in a copyright case over its blockbuster Call of Duty Black Ops 4 videogame; a defense verdict for Redbubble in a copyright and trademark infringement case brought by Atari; and a defense verdict in a patent case for Aptiv over USB technology.
“We are thrilled to welcome this exceptional group of lawyers to MoFo and call them our colleagues, having worked closely with them over the past several weeks to complete the combination,” said Eric McCrath, chair of Morrison Foerster. “This combination is a perfect match, both in terms of our joint focus on technology and life sciences clients, and our cultural alignment, in particular our shared commitment to diversity and inclusion. The arrival of the Durie Tangri team is also a significant step in doubling down on our core IP capabilities, having just added a London IP team in December.”
“We are excited to have joined Morrison Foerster. The firm’s global platform will be transformational for our practice and provide deep reach for our clients across a wide variety of sectors,” said Daralyn Durie, co-founder of Durie Tangri. “We look forward to working closely with our new colleagues to advance our shared tradition of trial excellence.” Ragesh K. Tangri, also a co-founder of Durie Tangri, added: “We are extremely proud of what we built in just over a decade at Durie Tangri. We’re excited to bring our next generation of diverse trial talent to MoFo, while focusing on assembling the best local and global trial teams for clients.”
Morrison Foerster is widely recognized as a global IP and patent powerhouse. In the last five years, Morrison Foerster lawyers have litigated more than 300 patent disputes in the most active district courts in the U.S., including the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas, the District of Delaware, and the Northern and Central Districts of California. Further, the firm’s more than 115 patent attorneys and patent agent/scientific analysts offer clients around the world unrivaled industry and technical experience.
The combination with Durie Tangri closely follows the announcement of the addition of an IP team in London, led by partner Steven James. The team’s arrival bolsters Morrison Foerster’s IP offering in the UK and Europe and adds new contentious IP capabilities in London.
In 2019, Morrison Foerster opened an office in Boston, significantly strengthening its IP capabilities on the East Coast. In March 2022, the firm opened an office in Austin with an initial focus on advising companies, including emerging growth companies, and investors in the technology, life sciences, and healthcare sectors, on IP litigation and transactional matters. As part of the opening, leading IP practitioners Brian C. Nash and Aaron G. Fountain joined the firm’s IP Litigation Group.
