Buchanan Nabs IP Litigators for Expansion in Philadelphia Office

PHILADELPHIA – July 23, 2015 – Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney announced today the addition of two highly experienced intellectual property attorneys, Shareholder Alfred W. Zaher and Counsel Shawn S. Li, Ph.D., to the firm’s Philadelphia office. The new hires expand Buchanan’s nationwide IP practice in the northeast corridor.

Zaher and Li will focus their practices on patent and trademark litigation, patent prosecution, licensing and counseling with a heavy focus on U.S. and international clients in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, chemical, electronics, software and medical device industries. Both also have extensive experience advising multinational clients on protecting IP rights in China.

“Alfred and Shawn bring an expanded offering to Buchanan adding to our already strong national patent and trademark litigation and post-grant practices. Their experience in the Asia Pacific region gives a boost to Buchanan’s expanding reach, particularly in an emerging market such as China,” said Matthew L. Schneider, section leader of Buchanan’s IP Section.

“Buchanan provided unique strengths and the feel of an IP boutique with the broader-based platform of a strong national general practice firm. We saw this as a tremendous opportunity not only to grow our IP practice in the US, Europe and China, but also to expand into corporate and other opportunities not available at other firms,” said Zaher.

"We were looking for a full-service firm with an international reach that could support our growing practice particularly in the biotech and software space, and also provide the expertise that would allow us to assist our clients in other areas such as FDA, corporate and immigration. Buchanan has the resources in place to meet those needs,” said Li.

“We are very excited to have Alfred and Shawn join us here in Philadelphia. Their practices are a great complement to our current capabilities, and we are already actively working on increased client opportunities. They are a welcome part of our office’s and our firm’s continued growth, both in practice areas and client base,” said Joseph A. Dougherty, Buchanan’s CEO-Elect.

Both Zaher and Li join the firm from Novak Druce’s Philadelphia office and bring a wealth of experience to Buchanan.

Zaher, a first-chair litigator, concentrates his practice on patent, trademark and trade secret litigation, licensing and counseling. He has experience representing clients before U.S. courts, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office. Zaher leverages his working relationships with Chinese officials and law firms to successfully manage clients’ patent and trademark portfolios in China, including identifying and prosecuting infringers in the Chinese court system.

Before entering law, Zaher was a research electrical engineer with more than 10 years of technical experience at organizations such as The Boeing Company and Litton Industries. He earned a law degree from St. John’s University, engaged in graduate studies in Electrical Engineering at Drexel University and earned a B.S. degree in Engineering Science from the City University of New York.

Dr. Li’s comprehensive intellectual property practice involves developing global protection strategies, drafting and prosecuting U.S. and international patent applications, representing clients in reexamination proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and negotiating and preparing complex licenses and related agreements. He also advises clients on issues related to protecting intellectual property in China.

In addition to gaining experience working for nationally recognized law firms, Dr. Li has worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in the department of physiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and as a graduate research assistant at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine. He earned his law degree from Temple University, a Ph.D. and M.S. degree in Pharmacology from New York University and a B.S. degree in Biology from Peking University.

About the Firm
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC (www.bipc.com) brings true partnership to our clients. We understand the service and partnership attributes our clients most value and have formalized a model for consistently achieving them. The firm has more than 530 attorneys and government relations professionals practicing throughout the United States, with an office in Washington, D.C. and in 18 cities across states, including California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

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