Sonnenschein Expands Patent Litigation Group with Two New Attorneys in Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.
February 1, 2007
(SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON, February 1, 2007)--Law firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP today announced the continued growth of its Patent Litigation Group with the addition of Yar R. Chaikovsky as partner and former U.S. International Trade Commission Section 337 Administrative Law Judge Delbert R. “Chip” Terrill, Jr., as of counsel. Chaikovsky will reside in Sonnenschein’s San Francisco office until mid-March when the firm opens its new Silicon Valley office in Menlo Park, Calif. Terrill will be based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.
“The addition of Yar and Judge Terrill represents a significant expansion of our patent litigation practice and positions us as one of the premier patent litigation groups in the country,” said Alexander J. Hadjis, chair of Sonnenschein’s national Patent Litigation Group. “Yar is an outstanding attorney and litigator, and he brings with him a unique expertise in the patent litigation field. At the same time, Judge Terrill’s unique experience, both as an attorney and as a judge who has presided over numerous, high-stakes patent cases, makes him a great asset to our group. As the only former ITC judge currently practicing law, Terrill is simply one of a kind.”
Chaikovsky, who joins Sonnenschein from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, is a highly regarded patent litigation attorney. He is also an adjunct lecturer at Stanford Law School, where he teaches a course on intellectual property, and a frequent speaker on various aspects of intellectual property law. His practice focuses on patent litigation, pre-litigation analyses, and patent strategy and counseling for companies in all stages of development, from start-ups to established companies, in a wide range of technology fields.
Terrill is a former administrative law judge at both the International Trade Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. In those roles, he presided over complex intellectual property (Section 337) and energy disputes, resolving sophisticated technical and economic issues. During his tenure at the ITC, Terrill handled the largest patent and trademark cases in the Commission’s history. He currently serves as chairman of the Committee on the International Trade Commission, Intellectual Property Law Section, American Bar Association and on the executive committee of the ITC Trial Lawyers Association.
Terrill’s legal career covers both the public and private sectors. He has worked for the U.S. Department of Defense, first as a trial attorney and later as an administrative judge in the Directorate for Industrial Security Clearance Review. Prior to that, he was a special assistant U.S. Attorney. He also worked in the Office of the Special Counsel in Washington. Terrill began his legal career working in the White House on the Presidential Clemency Board under President Gerald Ford and then on Capitol Hill. Most recently, he was counsel at White & Case LLP.
Chaikovsky earned a J.D. degree from the UCLA School of Law and a B.S. degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Southern California. Terrill received a J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He holds two B.S. degrees, one from the University of Maryland and the other from the United States Air Force Academy.
“I am eager to lead the way in Silicon Valley for Sonnenschein’s patent litigation practice,” said Chaikovsky. “With a strong understanding of what’s required to succeed in the region, and with several of my clients currently based there, this is a unique opportunity for us. I am very excited to be working again with Alex Hadjis.”
Added Terrill, “Sonnenschein is already well known in the patent litigation field for its technical expertise and extensive trial experience. Its Patent Litigation Group has some of the better Section 337 ITC litigation and trial talent in the country. I look forward to adding my 30 years of practicing law to one of the nation’s top patent litigation practices as it continues to expand.”
Sonnenschein serves the legal needs of many of the world’s most admired businesses, nonprofits and individuals. With offices across the United States and a global reach throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, we are well positioned to help our clients prosper and grow. For more information, visit www.sonnenschein.com.
Media Contact:
Jeff Mutterperl
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
(212) 398-8470
jmutterperl@sonnenschein.com
