Seven intellectual property lawyers have left the Houston litigation boutique Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing to practice law at a spinoff firm, Alavi Anaipakos, The Texas Lawbook has learned.
The group departure follows the exit of former AZA name partners Demetrios Anaipakos and Amir Alavi, who left at the end of March. Both Anaipakos and Alavi specialize in IP litigation and other complex commercial litigation.
The seven other AZA lawyers joining are partners Masood Anjom, Scott Clark and Michael McBride and of counsel Justin Chen, Steve Jugle, Brian Simmons and Joshua Wyde.
Before the recent departures, AZA had 52 lawyers. The hires strip AZA of all but a few of its IP lawyers, and all of its partners who primarily handled IP. On its website, AZA now displays the bios of 43 lawyers.
In exclusive interviews Thursday morning, Anaipakos and Alavi told The Texas Lawbook that they have been best friends since growing up together in El Paso — and since have attended college together, practiced law together and made partner together. Creating a firm together is the realization of a “lifelong dream,” they said.
“We’ve always talked about having our own firm; doing it our way,” Alavi said. “I like the feel of a smaller firm: a bit more nimble, not as many client conflicts … you don’t need nameplates. You know everyone and a lot about everybody.”
“I had been at AZA for 22 years, and I’m super proud of that firm and my role in building the firm for what it is,” Anaipakos said. “When I joined there were four lawyers … 22 years later it has become a big firm with a big reputation and is much more diversified.
“I kind of missed the days when we were a smaller,” he said. “This was an opportunity to build a firm from scratch … to be entrepreneurial, nimble, free of client conflicts and really be able to hand-select those kinds of trial lawyers we think provide the best service for our clients.”
Alavi and Anaipakos said they could envision their new firm growing up to 20 lawyers, but that they wouldn’t want it to be larger than that. The new firm’s offices are at 3414 Mercer St. near Houston’s River Oaks area.
Alavi said that he and Anaipakos formed the firm in early April and that their seven colleagues officially joined this week and last.
“I loved working at AZA but when Amir and Demetrios reached out about building a new law firm I simply could not pass on that opportunity,” Anjom told The Lawbook. “We have put together a great team of talented attorneys and the firm is off to a busy start with an impressive roster of clients. I have no doubt that we’ll be doing great work for our clients for many years to come.”
In confirming the seven lawyers’ departure Wednesday afternoon, AZA name partner John Zavitsanos told The Lawbook the firm is “disappointed they left” but that AZA continues to have a “robust” IP practice and that the firm continues to be going strong. According to the Texas Lawbook 50, AZA reported $48.4 million in revenues in 2021.
Alavi Anaipakos will specialize in both business litigation and IP/patent litigation. Alavi estimated that the firm’s workload will be roughly 70 percent IP work and 30 percent commercial litigation, and that being a smaller shop will allow the firm the flexibility to take on more contingency cases.
When they were at AZA, Alavi and Anaipakos were known for building their predecessor firm’s IP practice — particularly the plaintiff’s side representing NPEs (non-practicing entities) — which Anaipakos said they built from “from zero” beginning in 2010.
Anaipakos said that all of his and Alavi’s clients have stayed on with them.
Anaipakos and Alavi said they’re currently involved in a series of patent cases “heating up rapidly” in the Eastern District of Texas against a group of banks for their alleged use of their client’s mobile banking technology. Slated for next year is a post-grant review trial on behalf of one of the multiple defendants sued by DynaEnergetics in the Western District of Texas.
Alavi Anaipakos has also been retained by Fraunhofer, a German research group of 50,000 engineers, to protect the legal rights of its global patent portfolio. Anaipakos described Fraunhofer as the “German equivalent of MIT or Bell Labs on steroids.”
The global patent portfolio work has taken the lawyers to jurisdictions as far away as China and Brazil.
“We’re currently litigating in all venues simultaneously,” Anaipakos said. “For a 10-lawyer shop, our practice already is global.”