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Novak Druce + Quigg LLP Adds IP Group from Akerman Senterfitt To Open West Palm Beach, Florida Office

Friday, January 23, 2009

Novak Druce Expands Its National IP Reexamination and Advanced Prosecution Practice With Strategic Move

West Palm Beach, FL -- With the legal industry continuing to consolidate and clients in need of ever more sophisticated and specialized work, Novak Druce + Quigg LLP, announced today that it was opening a new office in West Palm Beach, Florida with the immediate addition of six attorneys, including four senior partners, in the Intellectual Property Practice Group of Akerman Senterfitt. Offers have also been made to Akerman Senterfitt professionals and staff, and the office will officially open on February 2, 2009.

The four senior partners – J. Rodman Steele, Gregory Nelson, Jerold Schneider, and Joseph Bain – represent the Practice’s founder and former leader, current leader, and the two co-heads of Akerman Senterfitt’s IP Litigation Group, respectively. These attorneys will serve as the foundation of Novak Druce’s entry into the Florida market and add significant depth to the firm’s leading national IP litigation driven reexamination practice.

John Vetter and Gregory Lefkowitz will also join Novak Druce as a partner and senior associate, respectively.

What Made Novak Druce Special

Steele, Nelson, Bain, and Scheinder were drawn to Novak Druce for a number of reasons, including:

Novak Druce’s specialization and leading national IP platform (top-ranked by IP World).
The firm’s average 30% annual growth over the past five years.
Novak Druce’s focus on patent reexamination and advanced prosecution.
The opportunities for client growth and ability to more fully service current clients.

What Drew Novak Druce To Florida

Novak Druce was attracted to the Florida market and these attorneys for a number of reasons, including:

These attorneys are the core of the IP practice at Akerman Senterfitt.
Steele has built this group over 20 years and it is widely recognized as a leading practice.
The strength of the group’s clients and possibilities for strategic growth in the Florida market.
The group complements Novak Druce’s platform and offers great synergy with the firm’s existing offices, particularly in the biotech and computer science industries.

Commentary

Greg Novak, Managing Partner and CEO of Novak Druce, notes: "Novak Druce is always looking for quality practices across the country that fit our national platform and we found a great one in West Palm Beach."

"We are excited about working with this impressive group of skilled attorneys as we expand our reach and further reinforce our position as the go-to Intellectual Property firm for complex client needs."

"Rod Steele and this group are a premier practice and we’re not done yet. We will continue to search for quality practices anywhere that fit our platform."

J. Rodman Steele, who will be a new partner at Novak Druce, comments: "Novak Druce leads the nation in valuable intellectual property work, including reexamination filings, and is well-positioned for future success."

"Novak Druce is the perfect fit for us as its national platform nicely complemented our work and unlike general practice firms, our prosecution docket won’t be hindered."

About Novak Druce

Novak Druce + Quigg LLP is national firm focusing exclusively on complex intellectual property matters with more than 60 attorneys, agents, and scientific/technical advisors and analysts with offices in Houston, Texas; Washington, D.C.; San Francisco, CA; and a recently added office in West Palm Beach, FL. Novak Druce attorneys help clients navigate the complexities of U.S. intellectual property law by securing, enforcing, and defending their intellectual property rights. Novak Druce also has a renowned reexamination practice having more claims rejected before the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Central Reexamination Unit than any other law firm to this date. The firm’s commitment to excellence in intellectual property law and counseling continues and remains the foundation for the future, which is made apparent through achievements such as back-to-back WORLDleaders International IP Patent Excellence Awards - North America/Canada - 2007 and 2008.

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