Ropes & Gray Loses 21-Lawyer IP Group to Sheppard Mullin (1)

The head of Ropes & Gray’s intellectual property litigation practice and 20 other lawyers left to join Sheppard Mullin, the firm said Thursday.

Steven Pepe, a New York patent litigator who led the practice group, is among five Ropes partners jumping to Sheppard Mullin. Another 16 lawyers are joining in special counsel and associate roles in the firm’s Manhattan, Northern California, Washington, DC, and Seoul offices.

The haul builds on Sheppard Mullin’s decades-long investments in its intellectual property practice, Luca Salvi, the firm’s chairman, said via email. “We remain determined to be at the forefront as technology revolutionizes global markets and the value of IP becomes ever more decisive,” he said.

Silicon Valley IP lawyer David Chun is also moving to Sheppard Mullin as a partner, along with Jim Davis, Kevin Post, and Matthew Shapiro. The group has defended Samsung, Apple, and LG Electronics in court, among other clients.

“Bringing our entire team to Sheppard Mullin was an easy choice,” Pepe said in a statement. “The firm offers the kind of scale, vision and entrepreneurial culture that aligns with the increasingly complex and global nature of IP litigation and will serve our clients well.”

Sheppard Mullin reported more than $1.2 billion in gross revenue last year, landing just inside the country’s 50 largest law firms by that metric. The Los Angeles-founded firm is known for its work in the courtroom, advising clients from entertainment, health care, and other industries. Its lawyers steered Walmart Inc. in a July settlement with a food supply chain company after a jury awarded a $223 million verdict against the retail giant for stealing trade secrets.

The firm in June poached a three-partner team of IP lawyers from Perkins Coie.

Ropes & Gray, among the country’s 10 largest law firms last year, is a leading legal adviser in health care and technology deals for the likes of Eli Lilly, Abbvie, and Bain Capital. It has been looking to expand its reach in mergers and acquisitions and private equity beyond those core industries. Silicon Valley partner Megan Baca co-leads the firm’s intellectual property transactions group.

“Ropes & Gray remains fully committed to the ongoing growth of our IP transactions practice, as well as strengthening our presence in key markets, including the West Coast,” a firm spokesperson said in an email. “We are grateful for the contributions of our former colleagues and look forward to opportunities for continued collaboration with them.”