RatnerPrestia Goes Transatlantic
Valley Forge, PA (PRWEB) September 16, 2015 -- RatnerPrestia is pleased to announce that it is opening a Munich, Germany office on January 1, 2016. RP CEO, Jonathan H. Spadt, notes, “This is an unprecedented move for a firm our size, and one we are undertaking with very specific goals in mind. No IP law firm our size has done what we are doing.”
The office will allow RatnerPrestia to represent clients in both the U.S. and Germany, including at the European Patent Office. It will be initially formed by four attorneys: three new Shareholders from 3 different German IP firms, all of whom are long-time German colleagues of RP, and one Korean Patent Attorney. Resident in Munich will be Mr. Alexander Son as our Managing Shareholder, Dr. Fritz Wetzel, and Mr. Friedrich Scheele, as well as several staff members. Operating between Munich and Seoul in cooperation with Mr. Son will be Mr. Jongmyun Kim, a Korean Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney trainee. Alexander Son is a German Lawyer (Rechtsanwalt) of Korean descent with an expertise in counseling and litigation in all matters of intellectual property, especially trademarks, designs, patents and utility models, as well as drafting and evaluating license agreements. Dr. Fritz Wetzel has practiced Intellectual Property law since 2002 with a focus on chemistry related topics, in particular organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, plastics technology, pigments and dyes, liquid crystals, biochemistry, bioorganic chemistry, and pharmaceuticals. Mr. Friedrich Scheele graduated as a mechanical engineer from Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg in 1993 with a specialization in computer-based engineering and computational dynamics. He has been working in Intellectual Property since 1997 and became a German Patent Attorney in 2001 and a European Patent Attorney in 2003. His technical expertise focuses on automotive, machine tools, medical technology, electronics and electrical appliances.
Spadt, commenting on one aspect of the strategic move, acknowledged it is a bit unorthodox for a firm his size to go transatlantic - but also noted, “The bureaucracy of large firms often crushes the freedom needed for personal development of relationships between lawyer and client. By integrating German and European patent attorneys into our firm, our clients receive enhanced efficiencies that come from daily collaboration and seamless communication within one team. We have seen firsthand what can result from the sometimes imperfect communication or goal differentiation between separate counsel in two different firms based in two different world economies. Our new form provides collaboration between lawyers within one firm, where we ensure the maintenance of privilege, the open communication that is necessary to resolve difficult legal questions, and the non-competitive nature of handling projects within one firm having experts on both sides of the Atlantic.”
RP has enjoyed many years of strong relationships with German companies and their legal and IP departments. These strong and long-lasting relationships have allowed the firm to reach the point where today it represents many of Germany’s best and largest companies. During that time we have also enjoyed the development of strong ties to many exceptional German IP lawyers. The opening of a Munich office is a natural result of these relationships. “This strategic expansion warrants celebration in today’s world of failing law firms and the continual disappearance of once-famous practices by merger and consolidation,” noted Spadt in a final comment.
RatnerPrestia is a law firm expert in all things IP. The Firm handles procurement, enforcement, licensing, commercialization, global strategic IP planning, and all related business aspects of IP. It has attorneys experienced and successful in all relevant U.S. agencies and tribunals, including the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, The International Trade Commission, and Federal Courts, both trial and appellate. With clients based around the world, RP understands that IP is global. For additional information, visit http://www.RatnerPrestia.com.
Kerry Boll, RatnerPrestia, http://www.ratnerprestia.com, +1 610-993-4204, [email protected]
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