Cooley Nabs IP Pros From Dickstein Shapiro, Kaye Scholer (Law360)

By Megan Leonhardt

Cooley LLP strengthened its New York and Washington offices with the addition of two patent litigators from Dickstein Shapiro LLP and Kaye Scholer LLP, the firm said last week.

After practicing with Kaye Scholer for almost 15 years, Joseph M. Drayton joined Cooley's New York office, while DeAnna D. Allen joined the firm's Washington, D.C., office after 10 years at Dickstein Shapiro. Both partners, who have experience litigating patent, trademark and other intellectual property disputes, joined Cooley's intellectual property litigation practice on June 11.

Michael Rhodes, chairman of Cooley's litigation department, said in a statement that the addition of both Drayton and Allen enhanced the firm's intellectual property capabilities.

"Together they enhance a firmwide IP litigation team that is garnering the recognition it deserves as one of this country's finest," Rhodes said.

Drayton has a developed a reputation as an experienced trial attorney, serving as the chair of the Intellectual Property Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association's litigation section, according to the firm.

He has represented a wide range of companies, including Pier 1 Imports Inc., Merrill Lynch Capital Corp. and Google Inc., in patent litigation, trademark and copyright disputes, trade dress matters and false advertising issues.

Drayton has served on numerous patent trial teams, representing companies in four cases that went to trial over the past few years.

Most recently, Drayton has worked to defend Google in a patent infringement suit filed by Collarity Inc. The Palo Alto company claimed that Google's search and advertising optimization infringed on its patented technology. The case is pending in Delaware federal court.

"The momentum within Cooley's IP practice is palpable — there is a true sense of collaboration among the team and it's hard to imagine a more dynamic and leading-edge client base," Drayton said.

Prior to earning his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1994, Drayton worked as an engineer for Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. for six years after receiving a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from University of Maryland College Park.

In addition to Drayton's trial experience, Cooley further beefed up its intellectual property strength with the addition of former Burger King in-house counsel DeAnna Allen.

Allen has experience litigating cases involving electrical and mechanical patents, including those used in software systems, semiconductors, consumer electronics, online auction technology and wireless communication networks.

In ongoing patent litigation in Delaware federal court, Allen has worked to defend Kyocera Corp. and several LG entities from allegations brought by ITT Manufacturing Enterprises Inc. that the company's phones infringed a patent covering GPS-enabled cellular communications.

Frank Pietrantonio, the head of Cooley's national intellectual property practice, said Allen's arrival further escalates the momentum within a national IP practice that has never been busier.

"Her past in-house experience provides an even greater dimension to her broad skill set and experience," Pietrantonio said.

"I am thrilled to be joining the Cooley IP team, which is one of the strongest in the country," Allen said. "I look forward to collaborating with colleagues across the firm in delivering strategic and business-savvy IP to clients who are defining the future course of technology both nationally and globally."

Prior to obtaining her law degree from the University of Miami School of Law, Allen worked as an instrumentation and control design engineer for Florida Power & Light Co.

Capitalizing on her engineering experience as well as a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, Allen also counsels clients on transfer of rights in intellectual property, as well as on matters relating to wireless and wired communication technologies.

"Those basic skills have carried through," Allen said, adding that the experience she has had in adapting to different environments has also proved helpful throughout her career.

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