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Lane Powell Brings In Tech Patent Atty From Kilpatrick
By Megan Stride
Law360, Chicago (June 25, 2012, 5:12 PM ET) – Lane Powell PC has gained a former Kilpatrick Townsend
& Stockton LLP partner with patent prosecution and litigation chops in the technology field for its
Seattle office, the firm said recently.
Alan D. Minsk is now a shareholder in Lane Powell's intellectual property and technology practice group,
his new firm announced June 19. He brings a practice focused on patent litigation support, patent
prosecution and patent portfolio evaluation, along with patent-related due diligence processes.
Minsk said Monday that he was drawn to Lane Powell by its established geographic presence in the
Pacific Northwest and its long-range plan to further develop its intellectual property offerings,
particularly in the areas of patent prosecution and strategic patent counseling in which he concentrates.
"The fact that it was a platform with an excellent reputation in this area, and [that] it was a group of
people who seemed very committed to building up this type of practice, is what sold me on it," Lane
Powell's new partner told Law360.
In the patent prosecution realm, Minsk has prepared and prosecuted applications for technologies tied
to communications systems, e-commerce, search methods, messaging systems, semiconductor
processing, flash memory, radar, lasers, wireless data services and other categories, according to his
new firm.
He has also taken on due diligence processes tied to mergers and acquisitions, patent licensing, and the
development of his clients' in-house patent programs.
Minsk said much of his practice also involves helping clients evaluate their ideas and develop
strategically valuable patent portfolios that can be used as assets in the way they run their businesses.
He has tackled every phase of the portfolio building and management process, helping companies
identify what goals support developing a patent program, figuring out what level of resources to use to
support that program and actually prosecuting the patents, his firm said. Minsk also evaluates patent
portfolios for purchase, sale or licensing, and handles patent litigation.
Lane Powell's new partner represents companies in the telecommunications, software, cloud
computing, consumer electronics and payment processing businesses. He told Law360 that he had
worked with software company NetSuite Inc. and speaker and headset maker Jawbone, among other
companies.
In addition to his time at Kilpatrick Townsend, where he had worked since 2006, Minsk once served as
the associate general counsel and patent counsel for Openwave Systems Inc. He has also worked as vice
president and patent counsel at Intellectual Ventures Management LLC.
Minsk holds a law degree from Harvard Law School and a masters degree in physics from the University
of California, Berkeley, according to his new firm.
Minsk is not the only high-level hire Lane Powell has made this year.
In January, the firm revealed it had added former U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Dwight Holton
to its expanding white collar criminal defense, regulatory compliance and special investigations practice.
Holton spend nearly 15 years with the U.S. Department of Justice, and as U.S. attorney he oversaw
criminal and civil cases over alleged international fraud schemes, complex environmental issues,
national security litigation, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, racketeering and civil rights, his firm said.
Lane Powell has more than 200 attorneys working in offices in Washington, Oregon, Alaska and London.
--Additional reporting by Amanda Bransford. Editing by Elizabeth Bowen.
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