The partnerships of Novak Druce + Quigg LLP and Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz LLP, jointly announced today that their merger discussions have progressed ahead of schedule. The firms have officially voted and executed agreements to merge effective January 1, 2013, creating the 7th largest IP boutique in the U.S. The new firm, to be known as Novak Druce Connolly Bove + Quigg LLP, will boast more than 140 attorneys, agents and technical advisors across seven offices.
The news comes on the heels of the results of Corporate Counsel’s “2012 Patent Litigation Survey,” which ranked Connolly Bove 7th in the U.S. in total plaintiffs cases. Novak Druce, meanwhile, was recently named one of the “Kings of IP” in the category of patent prosecution in the 2012 edition of the Corporate Counsel survey “Who Represents America’s Biggest Companies.” Both accolades are a testament to the new firm’s reputation and deep litigation pedigree within the scope of intellectual property law.
“With this strategic merger, we have combined incredible IP partners and associates, a dynamic mix creating an IP powerhouse. Adding the Connolly Bove Wilmington and Los Angeles offices to existing Novak Druce offices in Houston, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and West Palm Beach, and combining our respective Washington, D.C. offices, will give us a footprint of seasoned IP professionals with a long history of working together versus other firms that simply lure laterals with no cohesiveness, and a geographic scope that places us where technology and litigation are blooming”, said Gregory V. Novak, who will remain as Managing Partner and CEO of the combined firm. “This is a very exciting time for our firms, our clients and the entire IP landscape.”
“As the recently announced rankings confirm, the top-tier reputations of Connolly Bove and Novak Druce among the IP litigation and patent prosecution community makes this merger an ideal fit,” remarked Jeffrey B. Bove, the managing partner of Connolly Bove. “We believe the combination of these two midsize hot list firms will be unbeatable, and the benefits offered to our clients in terms of focused, value-added expertise in technology and patent law will prove to be both highly desirable and lasting.”
Bove will remain at the merged firm as senior partner, along with Novak Druce’s Donald J. Quigg, who served as the Under Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Commissioner for Patents and Trademarks under President Ronald Reagan. Nationally renowned litigator Rudy Hutz will also remain with the new firm.
Besides remaining Texas’ largest IP firm and headquartered in Houston, Novak Druce Connolly Bove + Quigg LLP will greatly expand its presence in California with offices in San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles. Additional geographic expansion is already being planned.
“We see further consolidation of smaller to midsize players with excellent reputations, and we intend to be active in further expanding our IP super boutique model,” Novak added. “In fact, we are in active talks with other firms and significant groups. That said, we will never grow simply for the sake of growth but to provide our clients with even greater depth of knowledge, experience and service.”
The news was first announced on Sept. 19 and can be found here.
Connolly Bove is one of the oldest and largest IP firms in the United States. It has frequently ranked among the top 25 U.S. law firms for patent litigation by Corporate Counsel Magazine, is listed by IP Today as a top 50 U.S. trademark firm and a top patent firm, and has been ranked the top intellectual property firm in Delaware for nine consecutive years by Chambers USA. The firm was listed on the National Law Journal’s “Midsize Hot List” in 2010 and most recently ranked 7th in the U.S. in total plaintiffs’ cases in the 2012 Corporate Counsel Patent Litigation Survey.
Novak Druce + Quigg LLP is a rapidly growing IP firm focused exclusively on complex intellectual property matters. With a renowned patent reexamination practice, Novak Druce was listed on the National Law Journal’s “Midsize Hot List” in 2011 and 2012, and has been listed by IP Today since 2008 as a top U.S. trademark firm and a top patent firm. It was most recently named one of the top “Go To” patent law firms in the 2012 Corporate Counsel Who Represents America’s Biggest Companies Survey.
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