Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (“SGR”) is pleased to announce the arrival of a group of 14 attorneys to the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice. Led by partner Jeff Kuester, the group will primarily be based in Atlanta and marks a significant expansion of the firm’s IP Department, bringing its headcount to more than 50 IP professionals.

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Jeff Kuester, partner at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP

In addition to Kuester, John North joins as a partner. Hugh Barnhardt, Donald Boyle, Kenneth Bruley, Micheline Johnson, Randy King, Jeff Kuntz, Roberto Suarez, Tobias Tatum, and Brad Czerwonky join as counsel. Delaney Berg, Arjay Parhar, and Jamie Scherr join as associates. All are joining SGR from Taylor Duma LLP.

“I have known Jeff for 35 years, and he has a national reputation not only for his tremendous IP work but also for building an impressive team with expertise spanning patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and IP litigation,” said Greg Kirsch, Head of SGR’s Intellectual Property Practice. “This was a very sought-after group, and they will substantially expand the capabilities of our existing strong and growing IP practice across the country.”

Kuester handles a range of intellectual property issues, including litigation, patent and trademark preparation and prosecution, and counseling. As a Georgia Tech engineer and registered patent attorney, he has been preparing and prosecuting patents for more than three decades. He also has extensive trademark and copyright experience. Kuester is ranked among the leading patent attorneys in the world by IAM Patent 1000 and is rated by Chambers USA as one of America’s Leading Business Lawyers. He serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia for intellectual property matters.

“We are excited to join SGR, an incredible law firm with some of the leading IP lawyers in the market today, including my good friend Greg Kirsch,” said Kuester. “I am particularly grateful that we are continuing as a team. This group is made up of exceptional legal talent and also truly good people. SGR provides us the best platform to continue serving some of the most sophisticated clients in Atlanta and nationally.”

North specializes in IP litigation, including patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and unfair competition issues. Representing both plaintiffs and defendants, he has served as lead counsel in over 100 IP cases and has litigated in all major IP courts across the United States. He has worked across a broad array of technologies and geographies, including matters for clients in Australia, Taiwan, Israel, and throughout Western Europe. North’s clients range from billion-dollar corporations to solo inventors. In addition to litigation, he brings deep knowledge in patent licensing, patent portfolio strategy, pre-litigation counseling, and inter partes review.

With more than 50 intellectual property professionals practicing law in eight cities – Atlanta, Chicago, Jacksonville, London, Los Angeles, New York, Tampa, and Washington, D.C., – Smith, Gambrell & Russell offers a full range of intellectual property services, including patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret protection and handles high-stakes intellectual property litigation. Working with lawyers from SGR’s corporate practice, the group also routinely handles commercial transactions involving the licensing, acquisition or sale of intellectual property. Learn more about the Intellectual Property practice here: https://www.sgrlaw.com/practices/ip/

About Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP

Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP is a full-service, international law firm that advises regional, national and global businesses on a wide range of legal matters. The firm’s more than 400 professionals provide legal counsel in more than 50 specialized practice areas, including corporate transactions, litigation, intellectual property, aviation, banking, real estate, insurance/reinsurance, construction, employment law, international, and employee benefits and executive compensation. Founded in 1893, Smith Gambrell has 15 domestic and international offices, including Atlanta; Austin; Charlotte; Chicago; Houston; Jacksonville; London; Los Angeles; Miami; Milan; Munich; New York; Southampton; Tampa; and Washington, D.C.

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"This was a very sought-after group, and they will substantially expand the capabilities of our existing strong and growing IP practice across the country."