THE SCOOP

Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear, LLP is a full-service intellectual property firm with an attorney roster that boasts a wealth of diverse backgrounds in science and engineering, including PhDs and medical doctors. One of California's better known IP houses, the firm handles everything from patent procurement to infringement litigation.

California IP Connoisseurs

Founded in Orange County in 1962, Knobbe Martens has branched out with five additional California offices and branches in Seattle and Washington, DC. Knobbe Martens came of age as an elite IP firm in 1995 when name partner Don Martens became president of the American Intellectual Property Law Association. The firm grew to 50 partners by the turn of the millenium. By 2003, Knobbe Martens made a showing on the AmLaw 200, a rarity for an IP specialty firm, and the firm continued to grow in ranks and workload over the next few years, representing high-profile clients like Baush & Lomb, Yamaha, Samsung and Boeing.

Knobbe Marten's offices vary in specialty, often reflecting the economic strengths of the surrounding region. Its Orange County headquarters, for example, is strong in venture capital cases, its San Diego branch serves the region's biotech patent needs and the L.A. office serves the entertainment industry, e-commerce, computer software and electronics communities industries. In DC, Knobbe Martens attorneys concentrate on electronics and ANDA litigation. Recently, the firm threw its patent practice hat into the ring alongside other California IP firms seeking to help medical marijuana growers trademark their products, business names and slogans.

Science Credentials

In a field of law where having an advanced science degree is de rigueur, the firm still manages to stand out with attorneys who have more unusual graduate degrees like astronomy and polymer science. The firm also boasts attorneys who have had work experience as engineers or in the high-tech world, and other attorneys who make it their goal to be experts in international intellectual property law. With more than 260 attorneys, the firm has grown in a time when other practices have downsized, attracting associates with relatively low billing hour requirements and an aversion to an eat-what-you-kill compensation system.