Paul Andre Joins Firm's Menlo Park Office Intellectual Property Practice

MENLO PARK, CALIF. (February 26, 2003) – Perkins Coie announced today that Paul Andre has joined the firm's Menlo Park office as a partner. His arrival further strengthens the firm's powerful IP litigation group that has been recognized by IP Worldwide as being among the nation's best.

Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Mr. Andre was a partner and head of the life sciences and biotechnology litigation practice at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges LLP. Joining Mr. Andre at Perkins Coie is his team of intellectual property attorneys Lisa Kobialka, Norbert Stahl, Ph.D., Joel Curzon, and Amy Fox.

Perkins Coie's offices in Menlo Park, San Francisco and Los Angeles now have more than two dozen intellectual property attorneys, giving the firm a total of nearly 90 attorneys practicing in this area. The acquisition of Mr. Andre and his team marks the latest step in Perkins Coie's continuing investment in building one of the country's leading intellectual property practices.

"Paul is an outstanding addition to our growing IP litigation group," said Ken Wilson, a partner and litigator in the San Francisco office. "His strong biotechnology litigation experience adds a new and exciting dimension to our local patent litigation practice. He also complements our recognized strength firm-wide in the life sciences area."

In addition to patent litigation, Mr. Andre also represents high-tech, life sciences and biotechnology clients with intellectual property counseling, trade secret litigation, and other business disputes.

"Perkins Coie is a great fit for my practice and team of IP attorneys," says Mr. Andre. "The firm offers a great platform for servicing all the needs of my existing clients, and with our litigation expertise, we hope to provide additional services to the firm's existing biotechnology and life sciences clients."

Mr. Andre received an undergraduate degree in biology/physics and a master's in physiology from Middle Tennessee State University, and was a Ph.D. candidate in cellular and molecular biology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine before attending law school. He received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.