PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, today announced that it has elected 13 new partners. The appointments will go into effect on February 1, 2008.
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"We are very pleased to welcome these exceptionally skilled and dedicated attorneys to our partnership," said Chief Executive Officer John Roos. "They reflect the firm's diverse practice and national presence, and provide additional leadership and expertise to many of our core practices."
The new Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati partners-elect are:
James G. Clessuras, Intellectual Property. Based in Washington, D.C., Clessuras focuses on business transactions related to technology and intellectual property rights, representing both public and private clients in a variety of industries, including information technology, semiconductors, and life sciences. He received his J.D. from the Northwestern University School of Law in 1997.
Kristen Garcia Dumont, Litigation. Based in Palo Alto, Dumont specializes in employment law and has extensive experience defending private and public companies in a broad spectrum of employment disputes, including class actions, and regularly advises companies on employment matters. She received her J.D. from the Santa Clara University School of Law in 1997.
Charles Tait Graves, Litigation. Based in San Francisco, Graves' practice primarily focuses on intellectual property litigation and counseling for technology companies, with a particular emphasis on trade-secret and employee-mobility counseling for newly formed businesses. He received his J.D. from the University of California's Hastings College of the Law in 1998.
Aaron Hendelman, Intellectual Property. Based in Seattle, Hendelman is expert in trademarks, copyrights, and advertising law. He counsels clients regarding domestic and global trademark and copyright issues; intellectual property licenses and transactions; advertising, marketing, and promotions strategies; and Internet issues. He received his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1998.
Tonia Ouellette Klausner, Litigation. Based in New York, Klausner is a litigator and trial attorney, concentrating on business disputes and experienced in both federal and state courts. She has significant expertise in all stages of the commercial litigation process and has worked on a broad range of matters, such as fraud, civil RICO, breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets, and business defamation claims. She received her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1993.
Richard A. Kline, Corporate & Securities. Based in Palo Alto, Kline's practice includes representation of public and private companies in a full range of corporate transactions, including public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and venture financings. In addition to earning his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1999, Kline received his CPA license from the state of Massachusetts in 1996.
Jon P. Layman, Corporate & Securities. Based in Palo Alto, Layman advises clients on a broad spectrum of corporate and securities matters, including corporate finance, corporate law and governance, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital. He earned his J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 1996.
John Randall Lewis, Corporate & Securities. Based in San Francisco, Lewis concentrates on the clean technology and renewable energy industry and has extensive experience working with clients ranging from start-ups to large public corporations in matters involving public offerings, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, private equity, and many other aspects of corporate and securities law. He received his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1995.
Scott McCall, Employee Benefits & Compensation. Based in Palo Alto, McCall represents private and public technology clients in connection with executive compensation and employee benefits matters, such as the design and implementation of equity compensation, bonus plans, and executive employment agreements. He received his J.D. from the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law in 1998 and an LL.M. from the New York University School of Law in 1999.
Anie K. Roche, Intellectual Property. Based in Palo Alto, Roche focuses on patent prosecution, strategic patent counseling, and intellectual property due diligence in a variety of fields, including protein chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacology, neuroscience, bioinformatics, and molecular biology. She received her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1999 and earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology and neuroscience from the University of Minnesota in 1997.
Bahram Seyedin-Noor, Litigation. Based in Palo Alto, Seyedin-Noor specializes in representing technology companies in complex commercial and securities cases, including securities-fraud class actions, merger-related actions, earn-out disputes, and SEC investigations. He earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1999.
Gregory L. Watts, Litigation. Based in Palo Alto, Watts focuses on business-related disputes and securities litigation, primarily defending corporations and their directors and officers in securities class actions, shareholder derivative actions, and SEC investigations and enforcement actions. He earned his J.D. from the Duke University School of Law in 1998.
Derek L. Willis, Corporate & Securities. Based in Austin, Willis primarily represents emerging growth companies in the semiconductor, software, networking, clean technology and renewable energy, telecommunications, and life sciences sectors, as well as venture capital funds and investment banks. His practice focuses on venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, and public securities offerings. He earned his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1995.
About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's broad range of services and legal disciplines is focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leader in the fields of corporate governance and finance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, securities class action litigation, employment law, intellectual property, and antitrust, among many other areas of law. With long-standing roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has offices in Austin, New York, Palo Alto, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, and Washington, D.C. For additional information, please visit http://www.wsgr.com/.
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