Brinks to open office in Shenzhen, China

CHICAGO-Brinks Gilson & Lione, one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the United States, and with an office in Ann Arbor, has filed an application with the Shenzhen Justice Bureau to establish an office in Shenzhen, in China, the firm's first location overseas and the first foreign law firm to open an office in Shenzhen. This major financial and manufacturing center is known for high technology and biological research, including for pharmaceutical and bioengineering companies, and for its favorable business environment for hardware start-ups-earning it the nickname "China's Silicon Valley." "Brinks Gilson & Lione's purpose in establishing our new office in Shenzhen is simple," said Brinks president James R. Sobieraj. "We want to be closer to our clients in China. Brinks already represents a number of China's largest and most successful enterprises with intellectual property needs in the U.S. They rely on Brinks' range of experience as they enter and expand in the U.S. and the global marketplace. Now we'll have a local presence to serve these valued clients." Brinks' Shenzhen office will help Chinese enterprises that export to the U.S. take full advantage of U.S. IP laws by helping them protect their innovations and defend against assertions of infringement by their products, including in U.S. federal district court, before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), and at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Brinks shareholder and litigator Harold V. Johnson, will be the managing shareholder in Shenzhen. Attorneys Gustavo Siller, Yuezhong Feng, and Elizabeth Chien-Hale will continue to represent Chinese clients. Brinks will hire local administrative and technical Chinese personnel. Published: Mon, Jun 06, 2016