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Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease adds IP power
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: August 7, 2014
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease is beefing up its intellectual property practice with the addition of two attorneys, who together bring more than 55 years of experience to the firm’s IP table.
Partners Mark Watkins and Michael Garvin began in mid-July after leaving Hahn Loeser & Parks.
“Vorys has the perfect platform for us to grow our respective practices,” said Garvin, who primarily handles intellectual property litigation in the Akron and Cleveland offices. “The firm has a terrific corporate client base in Ohio and around the nation and it has the talent and support systems that will enable us to enhance the delivery of these services.”
“Vorys offered an established Akron office and intellectual property practice, which were keys for me,” said Watkins, who generally works out of the Akron office and focuses on procuring patents and trademarks, drafting licensing agreements and handling collaboration between entities.
“Vorys has provided intellectual property legal advice to its clients for decades,” said F. Daniel Balmert, managing partner of the Akron office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease. “In analyzing our firm’s current team of legal talent we felt we should explore opportunities to expand our skill sets in order to better meet the constantly expanding needs of our existing clients that are fueled by the continually accelerating pace of the development of intellectual property law.
“As technology expands, our clients’ need to protect and defend their intellectual property grows exponentially,” said Balmert. “We are privileged to add premier, well recognized lawyers like Mark and Mike to our team to assist our clients with developing plans to protect their investments in intellectual property and to defend them against claims by others.”
Born in Cleveland, Watkins holds an undergraduate degree in pharmacy from Ohio Northern University and a law degree from The University of Akron School of Law. Over the years, he has counseled many Fortune 1000 companies across the U.S. and around the world, helping them create strategies for the procurement and protection of their IP rights. He has also developed a niche within the entertainment industry in which he protects the brands of numerous celebrities and athletes.
“The decision to come to Vorys all started after an innocuous non-business conversation with some of my friends at Vorys,” said Watkins. “During the conversation I uncovered a synergy between my practice, Mike’s practice and what was going on at Vorys.”
Garvin grew up in Cleveland Heights, receiving his bachelor’s degree in economics from Miami University in Oxford and his juris doctor from William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia.
The former co-chair of the IP Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation has handled numerous patent infringement lawsuits, including prosecution and defense in the fields of electrical, mechanical, computer, telecommunications and medical devices.
“I love the marriage of technology and litigation,” said Garvin. “I work with smart people who do cutting edge work and I feel that I grow personally from being around these people with really large brains.”
He said he also enjoys crafting his arguments for different audiences ranging from juries to trial and appellate court judges.
“One of my favorite cases involved representing a Silicon Valley manufacturer of radio frequency identification tags,” said Garvin. “These tags provide an excellent way to identify products that may be grouped together in a large warehouse.
“My client was sued by a large competitor who tried to shut it down. After a week, a trial judge agreed with us and kept the factory open. It was just the type of high stakes case that I love being involved with.”
Established in 1909, Vorys has gone on to become one of the largest Ohio-based law firms with nearly 375 attorneys in seven offices, including Akron, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati along with Washington D.C., Houston and Pittsburgh.
The firm’s IP team, which includes pharmacists and various types of engineers, represents a number of the region’s largest businesses as well as working with Israeli, Japanese and Korean companies seeking patent protection in the U.S.
“Our clients appreciate our comprehensive and firsthand understanding of their business challenges,” said Benita A. Kahn, who chairs the firm’s technology and IP practice group. “Mark and Michael bring the credentials, education and experience that so many of our clients and prospective clients require.”