Fish & Richardson Hires Firm’s First Chief Legal Risk Officer

Fish & Richardson, the law firm that Apple Inc. often turns to for patent fights, has created a new executive role focused on conflicts and other ethics issues.

Washington lawyer Elham Dehbozorgi joined the firm as its first chief legal risk officer, Fish & Richardson said Tuesday. She will serve as a member of the firm’s leadership team, reporting to Chief Operating Officer Kristine McKinney.

The Boston-founded firm also has represented Microsoft Corp., Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, and other tech heavyweights in a wide range of intellectual property matters. Fish & Richardson reported nearly $500 million in gross revenue last year, placing just inside the 100 largest firms in the country.

Its focus on intellectual property cases raises more complicated conflicts issues than at other firms, according to Dehbozorgi. IP lawyers have an added layer of potential conflicts in representing clients who are, for example, pursuing similar patents.

“In most other areas of law, you don’t want to be adverse to a client,” she said. “In IP, you’re not only navigating conflicts with clients, but also in subject matter.”

The firm recently has represented Apple in a slew of cases, such as disputes over smart-watch technology and 5G patent licenses. Its lawyers are also representing General Motors Co. and Tesla Inc. in a suit over a wireless patent in Michigan.

Dehbozorgi joins from Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox, a Washington-based IP law firm where she served as general counsel. She’s a member of the DC Bar’s legal ethics committee.