Harness Dickey launches new Dallas office

Leading intellectual property law firm Harness Dickey opened the doors to its Dallas office this week, establishing the firm's first presence in a region experiencing significant economic growth. Principals Gerald T. Welch and Darin W. Deaver, along with associates Chris K. Miller, Christopher M. Cauble and Thomas E. Schiano, have joined Harness Dickey from Dentons to launch the new office.

A long-time Dallas-area resident, Welch brings with him more than 30 years of experience in patent prosecution, counseling and litigation in the electrical, telecommunications, life sciences and medical device industries for corporations in the U.S., Asia and Europe.

"The addition of this new talent combined with the tremendous opportunities in the current Texas legal market complement our existing business perfectly," said Michael Brennan, a managing principal with Harness Dickey. "Our philosophy on expansion is that it must make our firm better, not just bigger, while maintaining our culture. Jerry's proven leadership skills and experience support this philosophy 100 percent."

As a partner in the IP and Technology practice at Dentons, a leading global law firm, Welch assisted clients with the procurement, development, licensing and management of intellectual property. He has repeatedly been recognized for his achievements, most recently as the 2015 "Copyright Lawyer of the Year" in Dallas by The Best Lawyers in America, along with inclusion since 2012 in The Best Lawyers in America in the practice areas of Patent Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation and Copyright Law. Welch will lead an initial team of four new attorneys as well as an administrative staff.

"The opportunity to leverage my years of experience to help a firm of Harness Dickey's caliber and esteem build a presence in my own backyard was one I couldn't possibly pass up," said Welch. "Intellectual property expertise is in tremendous demand here, and I'm pleased to join a successful team at the very forefront of the field."

The new Dallas location joins Harness Dickey's offices in metropolitan Detroit; St. Louis, Missouri; and Washington, D.C. Harness Dickey will also now have offices in three of the five USPTO Office locations.

Published: Mon, Mar 09, 2015