© 2015 The Texas Lawbook.
By Brooks Igo
(March 18) – IP law firm Harness Dickey recently announced its entrance into the Texas market with the opening of a Dallas office.
The Troy, Michigan-based firm chose a group of lawyers – led by principals Gerald Welch and Darin Deaver – from Dentons to launch its fourth office nationwide. They are joined by associates Chris Miller, Christopher Cauble and Thomas Schiano.
Welch, who earlier in his career helped build a 70-lawyer practice at Jenkens & Gilchrist, will head up the office. He says he was attracted by the opportunity to join a boutique and work for a firm that is committed to patent prosecution and building a presence in Dallas.
“There is a strategic interest in Dallas and Texas as a whole,” said Welch, who notes that the firm now has offices in three of the five cities that have patent satellite offices in the country (the other two being in Washington, D.C. and Detroit). “We have great expectations for significant growth in Dallas.”
In addition to easy access to the USPTO satellite office, Welch cited the Northern District of Texas and the explosion of Dallas’ northern corridor (Plano, Frisco, etc.) as reasons for Harness Dickey’s interest in the fourth largest metroplex in the country. The firm’s office will be located along that booming corridor in Frisco.
Welch, who has more than 30 years of experience in patent prosecution, counseling and litigation, says the number of patent filings continues to rise. He believes that post-grant challenges are going to become more important as a first step before litigation.
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