Orange County – Global law firm K&L Gates LLP has added Mincheol Kim as a partner in the IP procurement and portfolio management practice. He joins K&L Gates’ Orange County office from Knobbe Martens, and is accompanied in his move by associate Nathan Lee and patent agent Hank Lee. 

Kim advises businesses and individuals on the complex legal, technical, commercial, and dispute resolution matters involved with intellectual property, with an emphasis on patents and trademarks. With a unique technical background in both chemistry and electronic engineering, he represents global technology leaders, startup companies, and universities in a variety of industries, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, material science, mobile devices, Internet of Things, and automotive, among others. Qualified in both the United States and Korea, Kim represents U.S. companies on both domestic and foreign IP matters as well as foreign, particularly Asian, companies on their U.S. and global intellectual property matters, aided by his past experience practicing IP law in Korea.

“The firm has added some great talent to our IP practice this year and the arrival of Mincheol and his team continues our incredible run,” said Bob Barrett, co-leader of K&L Gates’ global intellectual property practice area.

Kim is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, Korean Patent Attorneys Association, International Association of Korean Lawyers, and Korean American Society of Technology Entrepreneurship, among others. 

Pallavi Mehta Wahi, K&L Gates’ co-managing partner, United States, and chair of the firm’s global Diversity Committee, commented: “We are delighted that Mincheol has joined K&L Gates, and is the second diverse partner to start in our Orange County office since July. His unique skillset and wealth of experience in the IP space will be extremely beneficial to our clients across the firm’s global platform.”  

Kim’s arrival follows the addition of three other intellectual property partners this year – Chicago partners Patrick Richards and James Shimota and San Francisco partner Tom Anderton – as well as five other California-based lawyers during the past year, including real estate partner William Tate and commercial litigation partners J. David Bournazian and Jonathan Hersey in Orange County and corporate partner Ali Nardali and asset management of counsel David Owen in San Francisco.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Mincheol and his team to K&L Gates,” said Michael A. Hedge, managing partner of K&L Gates’ Orange County office. “Their hiring builds on an impressive year of growth for our Orange County office, during which we’ve added six people, and brings further depth to our extensive experience in the life science and technology space.” 

K&L Gates has welcomed more than 25 new partners and of counsel in 2020, including in the firm’s corporate; health care; tax; commercial litigation; environment, land and natural resources; asset management and investment funds; IP procurement and portfolio management; IP litigation; real estate; government contracts; and investigations, enforcement and white collar practices.

K&L Gates’ intellectual property procurement and portfolio management practice has more than 200 lawyers, including approximately 100 registered patent lawyers, agents, and technology specialists with technical or advanced science degrees, who devote their practices to helping clients establish, enforce, and leverage their intellectual property rights worldwide. Together, these lawyers seamlessly work for clients in creating, developing, and leveraging patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and other rights to protect intellectual property assets as valuable business assets.