Morrison Foerster continues IP push with London team hire

(Reuters) - U.S. law firm Morrison & Foerster said Monday three intellectual property lawyers have joined the firm in London, expanding its IP practice in Britain just weeks after it announced a combination with prominent IP firm Durie Tangri in California.

Partner Steven James leads the group joining 1,000-lawyer Morrison Foerster from Brown Rudnick, where he was lead partner for UK and European IP. The team also includes an of counsel, senior associate and paralegal, according to a spokesperson.

A Brown Rudnick spokesperson said the firm thanks the team for their contribution and wishes them well.

San Francisco-founded Morrison Foerster will soon gain 36 lawyers from Durie Tangri, a litigation firm known for its IP cases and tech industry clientele, in a deal set to take effect Jan. 1.

Morrison Foerster has wanted to grow its trial and intellectual property litigation practices, firm chair Eric McCrath said when discussing the Durie Tangri combination last month.

McCrath in a Monday statement called intellectual property "one of the pillars" of the firm, which has expanded into Boston and Austin in recent years as it courts technology clients and patent work.

Several other big law firms have recently added groups of IP-focused lawyers and professionals, including Greenberg Traurig, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and BakerHostetler. Last week, four partners from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison left to open up a new firm focused on patent litigation.

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Morrison Foerster absorbs California litigation firm Durie Tangri

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