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Dykema Enters Dallas Market With Addition of Seven Intellectual Property and Commercial Litigation Lawyers

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

National Law Firm Envisions 50 Lawyers, Diversified Practice Within 24 Months

Dallas, TX – Dykema, a premier national law firm with Midwestern roots, today announced its entry into the Dallas market with the addition of seven attorneys. With plans to aggressively grow the office, Dykema has signed a lease at the Comerica Bank Tower, 1717 Main Street, Suite 2400 in downtown Dallas.

The four key lawyers establishing Dykema’s Dallas office include recent mayoral candidate Darrell E. Jordan, who will serve as the office managing attorney, and Monte M. Bond, Robert D. Ramage and David L. Patterson, all of whom join the firm from Godwin Pappas Ronquillo, LLP.

According to Rex E. Schlaybaugh, Jr., chairman and CEO of Dykema: "The Dallas-Fort Worth market is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the U.S. and has a vibrant and dynamic economy. Establishing a meaningful litigation practice here is a natural extension of our strategy. We continue to focus growth efforts on expanding our ‘core’ national and regional practices while looking at the development of additional strategic practices. The opening of our Dallas office syncs with our strategic goal to add attorneys that have market leadership positions in leading economic centers who share a similar strategy, culture and values.

"Darrell, Monte, Robert and David are exceptional lawyers who fit extremely well with what is already one of the nation’s leading litigation practices that includes a highly successful trial practice," added Schlaybaugh. "They bring added strength to our intellectual property and consumer financial services litigation practices, which deepens our capability to address complex, high-exposure litigation."

Dykema’s national Litigation Department includes 160 attorneys with substantial experience representing some of the largest corporations in the world. Attorneys counsel clients on a variety of disputes, including commercial and business issues, contracts, warranties and Uniform Commercial Code issues, securities, real estate, products liability and intellectual property. Dykema is retained as national or regional counsel for some of the largest manufacturers in the world, as well as by leading retail, insurance, financial and professional services companies.

While the initial Dallas office lawyers are highly skilled IP and litigation practitioners, the firm plans to grow the office aggressively and add several other practice areas to serve its existing clients, including corporate, real estate and financial services.

An Unwavering Commitment to Value and Service

"Dallas continues to grow in importance both as a litigation venue and as a center for business activity," said Darrell Jordan. "And we wanted to be part of a firm that is demonstrating clear leadership and growth in the legal industry. Dykema really stood out to us based on its litigation reputation, successes and momentum."

"Dykema was a perfect fit not only because of the firm’s litigation reputation, but also because the firm shares our philosophy of providing clients demonstrable value and the highest level of client service," added Monte Bond. "Purchasers are facing heightened pressure to control and reduce their legal costs more than ever before, and Dykema’s business model addresses the issue head on by providing clients with financial flexibility and predictability and the willingness to become a partner with its clients when addressing these issues. This made a lot of sense to us when evaluating our joining Dykema."

Schlaybaugh noted that Dykema’s "value and service equation" gives the firm a unique point of differentiation in the market. "We emphasize a combination of ‘value drivers’ to ensure that high levels of service and value are consistently delivered to clients," Schlaybaugh said. "Whether it is our dedicated client service teams, advanced IT platform, flexible billing arrangements, lower cost structure or high levels of customer service, Dykema’s total value-based approach gives us a unique position in the market."

According to Schlaybaugh, the market is responding. "Today’s purchasers of legal services are facing intense pressure to control legal expenditures and demanding increased value from their legal services providers. Our service model addresses these pressures by providing our clients with the financial flexibility and predictability they need while delivering industry-leading quality and impeccable service."

Advancing Dykema’s National Strategy

As a premier firm with Midwestern roots and major offices located in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., Dykema has developed a national footprint focused on serving Fortune 1000 and middle-market companies. Building on its roots and driven by the needs of its clients, the firm has extended its platform nationally by developing sophisticated national practices in areas including automotive, consumer financial services, energy and electric distribution, international counsel, infrastructure finance, intellectual property and pharmaceutical/medical device litigation. With over 400 lawyers, Dykema continues to engage in strategic expansion discussions with leading attorneys who can add further depth to key practices.

A Case for Dallas

Dallas-Fort Worth is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States with a population base of approximately 6 million. It is home to the corporate headquarters of more than 10 percent of the Fortune 1000, and its annual growth continues to outpace the national average. According to national research, in 2006 the region was among the top five metropolitan areas for gross domestic product, employment growth, value of venture capital investments and business expansion and relocation, and Texas was ranked the number one state for business.

About the Lawyers

Darrell E. Jordan is a leader in the legal profession and highly respected throughout the Dallas community. An active commercial litigator, he is a past president of the State Bar of Texas and Dallas Bar Association, and a past member of the Board of Governors and Executive Committee of the American Bar Association. He will serve as Managing Attorney for Dykema’s Dallas office.
Monte M. Bond focuses his litigation practice on intellectual property and commercial litigation at the trial and appellate levels. For the past two and a half years, he served as head of the Intellectual Property Section at Godwin Pappas Ronquillo, LLP, where he was responsible for devising and implementing strategies regarding all aspects of various intellectual property cases.
Robert D. Ramage represents corporations, retailers, individuals and businesses in a variety of areas including automotive finance and related litigation, commercial litigation, consumer defense, products liability, employment litigation and premises liability. He has also handled various trademark infringement matters, copyright infringement, unfair competition matters, represented companies in trade dress litigation, and served as lead counsel in several national class-action cases.
David L. Patterson concentrates on commercial litigation, intellectual property and appellate work. He has successfully litigated a wide range of disputes in state and federal courts at trial and appellate levels from both the plaintiff and defense sides of the aisle.

Dykema, a law firm based in the Midwest, is one of the country’s largest and most respected legal services and public policy consulting firms. The firm is known for its highly experienced attorneys and professionals and its focus upon complex business situations and national litigation. Dykema advises domestic and foreign-based companies and institutions on a wide variety of business issues including corporate governance, growth strategies and risk reduction, regulatory compliance, international trade, e-commerce and many others. Its diversified practice, international reach and Midwest work ethic have made Dykema the choice of Fortune 100 companies and entrepreneurial enterprises. The firm has offices in California, Illinois, Michigan, Texas and Washington, D.C.

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