Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP houses a patent prosecution team with impressive expertise across the remit of work which is highly regarded for its ‘in-depth expertise and global experience’. At the helm of the practice are medical device specialists Salima Merani who is noted by clients as being ’simply wonderful’ and Sabing Lee who harnesses deep experience handling the array of patent-related matters; both work from the firm’s Orange County hub. Establishing, managing, protecting and expanding innovative product inventions and related patent portfolios of value in the hundreds of millions of dollars makes up a large part of the team’s workload. Its life sciences, medical devices, biotech, engineering and telecom expertise in particular sees that the team assists clients across industry sectors which range from start-ups to well-established brands. Harnik Shukla at the Irvine hub has a specialism in IPRs and complex prosecution cases, San Diego’s Jason Jardine is noted for his ‘profound strategy insight’ while Maria Stout at the same office ’invariably has her client’s success at the forefront of her mind’. PTAB matters are also a key focus for the team, with Irvine-based Terry Tullis having particular expertise in such work, as is post-grant work which is the focus of Shannon Lam also based in Irvine. Lori Yamato and Jon Gurka have left the firm.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘In-depth expertise and global experience. Able to give a broad perspective on patent claims.’

  • ‘Salima Merani is outstanding. She is simply wonderful. The best! She is extremely client-focused, tireless and is very talented in what she does.'

  • 'Salima is a strategic thinker who understands our business and risks. She is smart, business-minded, anticipates our needs, and is always solutions-focused. She approaches issues from a pragmatic perspective, and provides us with both business and legal advice.’

  • ‘The knowledge in photonic computing is outstanding, the work done is in-depth and thorough.’

  • 'Knobbe Martens provides decisive advice not only laying out potential paths for IP protection but also suggesting practical actions that match client strategy. They are organized, and self-sufficient.'

  • 'Maria Stout invariably has her client's success at forefront of her mind. She has found creative ways to push examiners to consider new ideas and interpretations to lead to favorable outcomes on patent applications. Jordan Gottdank has deep subject matter expertise.'

  • 'I couldn't be more impressed by the engagement and assistance by this firm.'

  • 'This team engaged with open arms and offered guidance on the process and technical aspects of patenting.'

Key clients

  • Imperative Care
  • 6K, Inc.
  • Evident Vascular
  • Cala Health, Inc.
  • Augmedics, Inc.
  • LimFlow SA
  • Insera Therapeutics
  • Colorescience, Inc.
  • Paragonix Technologies, Inc.
  • AVITA Medical, Inc

Work highlights

  • Represented Relievant Medsystems for over a decade and obtained over 100 patents and trademarks in multiple countries, including in its successful acquisition by Boston Scientific of $850m.
  • Represented advanced materials company 6K, Inc. for several years, managing an extensive and rapidly growing patent portfolio that includes over 100 pending applications and over 20 issued patents to-date.
  • Filed Evident Vascular’s foundational patent applications for novel ways to image the body.

Lawyers

Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Salima Merani, Sabing Lee

Other key lawyers

Maria Anderson, Jason Jardine, Harnik Shukla, Terry Tullis, Maria Stout, Shannon Lam, Jordan Gottdank, Michael Christensen, David Schmidt