The ‘smart and strategic team’ at Morrison Foerster is distinguished by its dominant position in IP appeals before the Federal Circuit, where its lawyers have collectively argued more than 65 times—on behalf of both patentees and defendants. That being said, the group also has a strong presence in the Ninth Circuit, which is the largest court of appeals covering nine states, and the Second Circuit, which includes New York City. Deanne Maynard co-chairs the department from Washington DC and has argued fourteen times in the US Supreme Court; she is currently representing F5 in two Ninth Circuit appeals. Washington DC office managing partner, Joseph Palmore, co-chairs the practice and obtained an appellate victory for US Oncology in the Second Circuit when the Court affirmed the district court’s dismissal of a False Claims Act-related action. Washington DC is also the seat of Brian Matsui, who is recommended for patent cases. In San Francisco, up-and-coming partner James Sigel is noted for his growing activity before the Ninth Circuit and the California Courts of Appeal. Lena Hughes left to join the White House Counsel’s Office, while San Franscisco-based Aileen McGrath arrived from Akin in July 2024.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The entire appellate team is smart and strategic. I appreciate its practical approach to legal issues and litigation. It does not "nickel and dime" on billing and understands the importance of educating—and building relationships with—clients. It allocates the appropriate level of resources to make services cost efficient.’
‘Joseph Palmore has done outstanding work on our behalf - both brief writing and oral arguments. He is very communicative and keeps us up to date on the status of cases and is exceptionally responsive to questions and requests for information. He is an terrific legal advocate and trusted legal partner.’
‘The leaders of this practice have deep appellate experience and are knowledgeable about a wide range of subject matters. They really dig in on the issues - clients can rely on them to do a very thorough job. Their associates are very bright as well.’
‘Deanne Maynard is a vigorous advocate for her clients. She will never give up. She listens to clients and understands their needs well.’
‘Joseph Palmore is a very smart and well-rounded advocate. He works hard for his clients and comes up with creative solutions to their problems and good arguments in court.’
Key clients
- SNIPR Technologies
- Unilever
- U.S. Oncology (subsidiary of McKesson)
- Malvern Panalytical
- Teradata U.S.
- F5
- Celanese International Corporation, Celanese (Malta) Company 2, Celanese Sales U.S.
- VMware
- C.R. Bard
- National Abortion Federation
Work highlights
- Successfully represented SNIPR Technologies in the Federal Circuit in a landmark patent interference case against Rockefeller University.
- Represented Unilever in the Ninth Circuit, securing affirmance of a district court order dismissing a putative class action.
- Secured a win for McKesson subsidiary, US Oncology, in the Second Circuit in a long-running False Claims Act suit challenging drug pricing practices.
Lawyers
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Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Deanne Maynard, Joseph Palmore