Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP announced today its intent to combine with Welsh & Katz, Ltd., a 45 lawyer, Chicago-based intellectual property firm, with a special expertise in the high-technology, biotech, and pharmaceutical fields among others. The proposed transaction will double the size of Husch Blackwell Sanders’ intellectual property practice group and substantially enhance its intellectual property litigation capabilities.
“While not yet complete, the prospects for the Welsh & Katz strategic combination are exciting,” said David A. Fenley, co-chairman of Husch Blackwell Sanders. Fenley added, “This opportunity accelerates our positioning in Chicago and is important to our ability to expand practices in one of the top legal markets in the U.S.” According to Fenley, the name of the combined firm in Chicago would be Husch Blackwell Sanders Welsh & Katz.
“We are excited by the opportunities Husch Blackwell Sanders’ larger litigation and business services platform provides our clients,” explained A. Sidney Katz, who will serve as chair of the firm’s national intellectual property group and co-chair of the Chicago office. “Likewise the ability to market our intellectual property legal capabilities to Husch Blackwell Sanders’ clients is also attractive. We think the combination of our respective firms will provide great benefits in intellectual property litigation, as well as in the traditional area of procurement of patents, trademarks and copyrights,” he said.
Joseph P. Conran, co-chairman of Husch Blackwell Sanders, added, “Welsh & Katz is a highly regarded intellectual property and intellectual property litigation firm and the combination reinforces our commitment to provide our clients with excellent service and specialized expertise in this area of law.”