Yar R. Chaikovsky Joins McDermott’s Silicon Valley Intellectual Property Practice
SILICON VALLEY (December 23, 2009) — McDermott Will & Emery LLP is pleased to announce that Yar R. Chaikovsky will be joining the Firm as a partner in its Silicon Valley office. Mr. Chaikovsky will focus his practice on patent litigation and trial before federal courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission. He comes to McDermott from Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, where he held several leadership roles including co-head of the Silicon Valley office and also concentrated his practice on intellectual property litigation.
"We are extremely pleased to welcome Yar to the Firm," said Anthony de Alcuaz, partner-in-charge of McDermott's Silicon Valley office and a member of the Firm’s worldwide Intellectual Property, Media & Technology Department. "Yar has quickly established himself as one of the area’s go to patent litigators, and his addition to the Firm brings additional strength to our intellectual property trial team, locally and nationally."
Added Sarah Chapin Columbia, vice-chair of the Intellectual Property, Media & Technology Department, “Yar brings to a diverse group of clients in a broad range of industries. His experience and skills will significantly expand our ability to serve a variety of technology businesses.”
Mr. Chaikovsky has worked extensively with companies in all stages of development, from start-ups to established companies, and in numerous fields of technology, including networking, software, hardware, Internet, communications, video compression, semiconductors, consumer electronics, analog devices and medical devices.
“I am very excited to be joining McDermott’s intellectual property team,” said Mr. Chaikovsky. “The Firm’s excellent reputation, extensive resources and deep bench were major factors in my decision and will contribute greatly toward providing the high-quality legal services that clients require in today’s competitive business environment.”
Mr. Chaikovsky earned his J.D. from UCLA School of Law, where he was a recipient of the Wheat Scholarship and the Murray Fellowship. He earned his B.S., magna cum laude, in computer science, from the University of Southern California, where he was also a recipient of the Trustees’ Scholarship. Prior to entering law school, he was an engineer in the Missile Systems Division of Hughes Aircraft Company.
Since beginning his legal career Mr. Chaikovsky has established an impressive reputation for his legal skill and business acumen. He served as head patent counsel for Yahoo! Inc. and as general counsel for Zaplet, Inc., before joining the Silicon Valley office of Weil, Gotshal and Manges. In 2008, Mr. Chaikovsky was named by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal as one of its “40 Under 40” rising stars. He has also been profiled in the Daily Journal as one of the 75 Leading Intellectual Property Litigators in California and as one of the Top 20 lawyers in California under the age of 40. Chambers USA has ranked him as a leading intellectual property attorney in California; in that publication, clients commented favorably on his “assertive, thorough and thoughtful approach.”
In addition to his private practice, Mr. Chaikovsky has served as an adjunct lecturer at Stanford University Law School. He is a frequent speaker on intellectual property and patent issues at legal and business conferences around the country. He regularly publishes articles on legal topics and is frequently quoted in the national press.
McDermott’s Intellectual Property, Media & Technology Department includes more than 180 lawyers and patent agents working in the Firm’s offices throughout the world. The group is renowned for its trial and appellate experience, and is ranked as one of the strongest IP litigation firms for both plaintiffs and defendants. The Firm’s practice in procurement and licensing in the patent, trademark and copyright areas is recognized for its depth and breadth. Rounding out its intellectual property, media and technology services, the team provides client counseling and advice regarding trade secret, unfair competition, advertising, entertainment and computer law. Additionally, McDermott’s IP attorneys work closely with the Firm’s transactional and tax lawyers on the intersection of IP and corporate issues.
