Major law firm lands local talent as it builds Triangle presence

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In a move to bolster its life sciences patent business, a national law firm has scooped up a number of lawyers across the country – including in the Triangle where it is establishing an office.

Indianapolis-based Barnes & Thornburg has announced the addition of 17 new lawyers as well as supporting staff to expand its life sciences patent group – which includes 35 life sciences attorneys, patent agents and legal professionals.

As part of that move, the firm has tapped Allen Baum, an intellectual property attorney who has been operating out of the Triangle for more than 20 years, as the leader of its group. Baum will be joined by local attorneys Bashir Ali, Amy Fix, Aisha Hasan and Mark Jenkins – who have decades of combined experience in the region.

“Barnes & Thornburg has a stellar reputation in life sciences and intellectual property, and we are excited to be joining forces with them,” Baum said.

The company says its interest in Baum was related to establishing a foothold in RTP, which is “home to three major research universities and is a leading hub of innovation and patent work.”

In addition to establishing a Triangle office in Durham, the firm plans to launch offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Salt Lake City, Utah – using attorneys from IP firm Brinks, Gilson & Lione.

“Bringing in a team of this caliber with their technical backgrounds, strong reputations, combination of client-side and firm experience, and presence across four different markets continues Barnes & Thornburg’s growth story of the past decade,” said Robert T. Grand, firm managing partner. “This latest step expands our geographic footprint, most notably in the booming Raleigh-Durham area, while adding to our already robust life sciences and IP capabilities.”

Baum says joining the larger firm will provide better opportunities for both the lawyers and clients – hopefully providing a range of services needed for the areas continually budding life science sector.

“We were particularly impressed by Barnes & Thornburg’s growth over the past several years and its great reputation and depth of IP talent,” Baum said. “We’re excited to leverage Barnes & Thornburg’s full-service capabilities – which are increasingly important to clients given the way patent work is now so closely intertwined with regulatory matters and other related areas.”

The Triangle group will operate out of an office building at 4819 Emperor Boulevard in Durham.

Original Article Source: Triangle Business Journal