Jennifer C. Chen Returns to McDermott Will & Emery From Hitachi
SILICON VALLEY (September 14, 2009) — International law firm McDermott Will & Emery LLP is pleased to announce that Jennifer C. Chen has rejoined the Firm as a partner in the Intellectual Property, Media & Technology Department. Ms. Chen will be resident in the Firm’s Silicon Valley office and will focus her practice on patent licensing and related asset management matters. For the past five years, Ms. Chen served as patent and licensing counsel at the intellectual property group headquarters of Hitachi, Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan.
Hitachi, as one of the world’s largest electronics and industrial conglomerates, owns and manages substantial patent portfolios across diverse technologies. Many of its licensing strategies and operations are complex and mission critical. “Working in-house for five years with Hitachi was an extraordinary experience. I am grateful for the opportunity and trust I received from Hitachi. Taking those experiences forward, I am excited to be rejoining and contributing to the Firm’s highly-regarded global practice as a partner,” said Ms. Chen. While at Hitachi, Ms. Chen also gained patent licensing experience with other technology companies in Asia, including those in Taiwan and Korea.
“We are delighted Jennifer has chosen to continue her professional path as part of our intellectual property team,” said Anthony de Alcuaz, partner-in-charge of the Silicon Valley office and member of the Firm’s Management Committee.
”Jennifer has a very impressive track record in patent licensing, litigation, and prosecution matters,” said Terry McMahon, head of McDermott’s global Intellectual Property, Media & Technology Department. “She will make a powerful addition to our intellectual property practice both on the West Coast and across the Firm’s international platform.”
Prior to Hitachi, Ms. Chen was based in the Firm’s Washington, D.C. office. She has served clients in matters including patent litigation before U.S. district courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission, as well as patent prosecution matters before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The technologies involved in these matters include enterprise data storage systems, semiconductors, image processing in printers, telecommunications devices, and software.
Before joining McDermott Will & Emery in 1999, Ms. Chen was a patent examiner in the electrical and computer software fields at the USPTO, where her focus was computer graphics and multimedia technologies. She also worked in the information technology industry as a consultant in a client/server and computer assisted software engineering environment.
Ms. Chen earned her J.D. from The George Washington University School of Law, where she was a member of The Environmental Lawyer and published “Special Flight Rules in the Vicinity of Grand Canyon National Park: A Deafening Debate over Restoring Natural Quiet,” 3 Envtl. Law (1997). She earned her B.S., with honors, in industrial engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is admitted to practice in California, the District of Columbia, and before the USPTO, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Ms. Chen is also admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales. She is fluent in Chinese (Mandarin), and a student of Japanese language and culture.
McDermott’s Intellectual Property, Media & Technology Department includes more than 180 lawyers and patent agents working in all of our offices throughout the world. We are renowned for our trial and appellate experience, and are ranked as one of the strongest IP litigation firms for both plaintiffs and defendants. Our practice in procurement and licensing in the patent, trademark and copyright areas is recognized for its depth and breadth. Rounding out our intellectual property, media and technology services, the team provides client counseling and advice regarding trade secret, unfair competition, advertising, entertainment and computer law. Additionally, we work closely with our transactional and tax lawyers on the intersection of IP and corporate issues.
