Sonnenschein Continues Aggressive Expansion of West Coast Venture Technology Group
October 17, 2005
(SAN FRANCISCO, October 17, 2005)--Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP today announced that Tarek Fahmi has joined the law firm as partner in the San Francisco office and member of the firm’s highly regarded national Venture Technology Group. He will play a key role in expanding the group’s presence on the West Coast, along with of counsel Lars Johansson, who also recently joined Sonnenschein in San Francisco.
“We have put together a deep bench, able to deal with a broad array of corporate, securities and intellectual property issues facing the venture capital and technology communities in the Bay Area,” said Paul Glad, managing partner of Sonnenschein’s San Francisco office. “Tarek and Lars are extremely talented lawyers and add to our role in venture technology law on the West Coast.”
"Sonnenschein's firm commitment to the sustained growth of its venture technology practice is evidenced by its ability to attract superb talent to its San Francisco Bay area office and nationally," commented Victor H. Boyajian, chair of the Venture Technology Group. "The deep experience these lawyers bring to the team will be quite synergistic with the firm's global venture technology practice and will further leverage our reach."
Fahmi, who will practice in Sonnenschein’s Intellectual Property & Technology Group, focuses on the structuring and negotiating of transactions involving intellectual property assets, including mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, private placements, strategic investments, licensing and the formation of strategic alliances. Prior to joining Sonnenschein, he was the managing partner of Blakely Sokoloff Taylor & Zafman LLP’s office in San Jose, Calif.
Fahmi has considerable experience in preparing and procuring patents in several fields, including communication and data networks, computer software and hardware, analog and digital circuits, semiconductor technologies, Internet technologies, and RF and GPS systems, and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In addition, he has led due diligence investigations in a variety of industries, including telecommunications, electronics and semiconductors, concerning intellectual property asset assessment and valuation, risk and portfolio analyses, patent infringement/validity opinions, trade secret protections, and strategies for portfolio management and development. He has also litigated complex patent infringement suits relating to technologies as diverse as power management for two-way pagers and Internet caching technology. He received a J.D. degree, summa cum laude, from Western State University College of Law and a B.Eng. from the University of Saskatchewan.
Johansson also practices in Sonnenschein’s Corporate & Securities Group and works on a variety of corporate matters, with a concentration on debt and equity financings and mergers and acquisitions. He has represented companies and investors in a variety of securities offerings, as well as acquirers and target companies in domestic and foreign mergers and acquisitions. Previously, he was with Coudert Brothers LLP in San Francisco. Johansson received a J.D. degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law. He earned both an M.A. degree and a B.A. degree from the University of Uppsala, Sweden.
Sonnenschein's 125-attorney Corporate Group counsels clients on a wide variety of business and legal issues confronting them in an increasingly global economy. The practice represents clients across the entire range of transactional activities, including public offerings, private equity investments, mergers and acquisitions, private investment funds, spin-offs, refinancings and strategic alliances, including outsourcing relationships and venture capital counseling.
The Intellectual Property & Technology Group consists of nearly 100 lawyers in offices across the country involved in all aspects of intellectual property. Its attorneys have the legal experience, scientific and technical knowledge and nationwide resources to create the best solutions to meet the most challenging intellectual property issues—as well as a network of contacts from countries around the world. Almost 50 of the firm’s lawyers are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Sonnenschein’s Venture Technology Group counsels emerging growth companies in a broad array of industry sectors, including life sciences, medical devices, telecommunications, semiconductors and information technology, including software and services. Its attorneys have particular expertise in representing clients in their efforts to commercialize innovative technologies, and they are recognized leaders in such cutting-edge areas as nanotechnology, Internet security and anti-piracy.
Sonnenschein, with more than 700 attorneys and other professionals in nine U.S. cities and a global reach, serves the legal needs of many of the world’s largest and best-known businesses, nonprofits and individuals. For more information, visit www.sonnenschein.com.
Media Contact:
Linda Butler
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
(312) 876-3453
lbutler@sonnenschein.com
