IP Team Jumps to Crowell & Moring from Allen & Overy in NYC

Crowell & Moring has raided Allen & Overy for a three-lawyer intellectual property team that specializes in technologies including artificial intelligence and self-driving cars.

IP litigator Paul Keller leads the team, which includes Michelle Wang and James Reed. Keller started at Crowell in April, and Wang and Reed began last week, with all working out of Crowell’s New York office.

The team handles trade secrets, patent disputes and copyright issues in the financial technology, life sciences, and automotive sectors.

Individual companies in the financial services and life sciences sectors, among others, are racing to modify the communications technology “for their particular industries and their data sets,” Keller said in an interview. “We’re seeing the whole waterfront on that now.”

Keller said it’s an exciting time to be working on AI-related projects as ChatGPT and other path-breaking chatbots gain popularity. After leading Allen & Overy’s US IP disputes group for the last five years, he said he was drawn to Crowell in part because IP is “a substantial part of the firm, and not a bit player.” He also lauded the firm’s automotive sector strength.

Keller said he has handled cases involving the internet of things, or IoT, as well as eHealth, 5G, and so-called “Big Data,” typically referring to data streams that arrive with high velocity and volume.

Laura Lydigsen, co-chair of the firm’s IP department, said the new team “broadens our IP litigation and trial capabilities around the globe.” She added that the additions “have carved out a niche working with companies on the forefront of disruptive technologies.”