Perkins Coie Opens San Diego Office

Perkins Coie announced it has opened a San Diego office with four new partners. Joining the firm’s newest office are Thane Bauz, formerly of Paul Hastings; and John Schnurer, Brian Wacter and Bing Ai, each of who join from Fish & Richardson.

Bauz and Schnurer will work in Perkins Coie’s patent litigation group, while Ai and Wacter join the firm’s patent prosecution group.

The new office is Perkins Coie’s fourth in California and brings the firm’s total number of attorneys in the state to more than 100.

Commenting in a press release, Perkins Managing Partner Bob Giles said the opening of a San Diego office coincides with the firm’s plan to expand its IP capabilities.

The move into San Diego closely follows the firm’s launch of an office in Dallas and expansions in Denver, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and San Francisco. According to Perkins Coie, the firm has added more than 200 lateral attorneys since 2005.

Overall, Perkins Coie has more than 700 lawyers in 17 offices across the U.S. and China.