Buchalter Opens Office in Atlanta, Georgia
August, 2024 - Los Angeles, California
6 August 2024. Buchalter is pleased to announce the opening of its newest office in Atlanta, Georgia, significantly expanding the firm’s presence in the Southeast of the United States. Shareholders Seth Trimble, Coby Nixon, Russell Dunlap, and Amanda Hyland join from Taylor English Duma along with Austin Vining and Cory Mull. All join as members of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. Shareholder Nicholas Dancey is joining Buchalter later this week as a member of the Real Estate Practice Group from McGuire Woods. With a significant practice in Atlanta, Shareholder Jeffrey Melcher is transferring from Buchalter’s Nashville office to the Atlanta office.
The expansion into Atlanta marks a strategic move for Buchalter as the firm continues to broaden its footprint in key markets across the country. This is Buchalter’s second office in the Southeast having established a presence in Nashville in 2023 with an office that has quickly grown to 20 attorneys. Buchalter has immediate plans to add more lawyers in Atlanta.
“We are thrilled to welcome Seth, Coby, Russ, Amanda, Nick, Austin, and Cory to Buchalter and officially establish our presence in Atlanta,” said Adam Bass, President and Chief Executive Officer of Buchalter. “This decision aligns with our growth strategy to better serve our clients by expanding our capabilities in thriving business communities. Atlanta represents a vibrant legal market, and there is no better group to start this office.”
As the Office Managing Shareholder of Atlanta, Trimble has nationwide experience litigating patent and trademark infringement cases, including trials in federal district courts and at the International Trade Commission, proceedings at the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and appeals before the Federal Circuit. He has experience with a diverse range of technologies, including telecommunications software, wireless networking, utility monitoring systems, computer user interfaces, mobile device software, medical records, prescription prenatal vitamins, water meters, pipe couplings, and metal forming and manufacturing processes. Trimble’s technology and intellectual property practice benefits from his technical background, and this experience also strengthens his cybersecurity and data privacy practice.
“We are delighted to join Buchalter and I am honored to the lead the office,” said Trimble. “After meeting with the entire Buchalter team, I recognized this opportunity would allow us to provide stronger counsel to our clients in Atlanta, and elevate our ability to not only serve our clients, but also allow us to expand the types of legal services our clients appreciate.”
Nixon, who will serve as Litigation Chair in Atlanta, also chaired his prior firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation practice group. He has a national practice encompassing all areas of intellectual property litigation and counseling with particular emphasis on patent infringement litigation. Regularly recognized by Georgia Super Lawyers, Georgia Trend’s Legal Elite, and the Best Lawyers in America, among others, Nixon has repeatedly delivered successes for his clients in complex patent cases, including at trial, on appeal at the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Federal Circuit and at the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board, in all the popular patent district courts, and in the International Trade Commission. Nixon and Trimble also bring particular depth in the federal district courts in Georgia, where appearing defendants have selected them to be counsel of record in over 15 percent of all patent infringement cases filed since January 2016 – more than any other firm.
“Our practice fits perfectly with Buchalter’s impressive Intellectual Property practice,” said Nixon. “I look forward to integrating my clients and providing them access to the deep bench and broad range of expertise the firm offers.”
Hyland will serve as the Atlanta office’s Intellectual Property Chair. As a nationally recognized trademark and media practitioner recognized by Chambers, World Trademark Review, and Best Lawyers in America, she has also been shortlisted as the Georgia IP Litigator of the Year several times. She carries a significant presence in the IP community, serving as the immediate past president of the Atlanta IP Inn of Court and the outgoing chair of the Academic Committee of the International Trademark Association, as well as serving on the executive committee of her prior firm. Hyland’s areas of focus include trademark and copyright enforcement and litigation, trademark clearance, portfolio management, and litigation and prepublication review relating to publishing and advertising, including privacy and defamation.
“We are excited to be a part of Buchalter's expansion into Atlanta, and we look forward to collaborating with our new colleagues and the rest of the firm to offer comprehensive, full-service capabilities to our clients,” added Hyland.
Dunlap has drafted and prosecuted numerous patent applications in a wide range of technologies in the mechanical arts, including water infrastructure components, construction equipment, cosmetics, clothing and other textiles, architectural products, medical devices, corrugated cardboard products and packaging, venting and drying technology, equestrian and pet equipment, and many varieties of consumer goods. His expertise includes reviewing his clients’ products and processes to provide advice on best strategies for protecting their intellectual property through a combination of patentability and non-infringement searches, utility and/or design patents, trade secrets, copyrights, or trademarks.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Dunlap worked as a mechanical engineer.
“Buchalter provides a unique opportunity to further develop my practice,” said Dunlap. “I am motivated by joining the firm and enthusiastic about our future.”
Dancey focuses his practice on the representation of real estate funds, pension funds, life insurance companies, lenders and developers in domestic and international transactions, including financings, acquisitions, dispositions and joint ventures involving all asset classes. He also advises investors, lenders and developers in complex transactions and has extensive experience working with private equity firms. Dancey has represented some of the nation’s largest developers in over $1.5 billion of construction financings and has designed and implemented a real estate investment platform exceeding $1 billion for a foreign pension fund for investments into Europe.
An experienced commercial and business litigator, Melcher specializes in contract and business disputes, healthcare, insurance, real estate, transportation, labor, and employment. Additionally, he serves as regional and national counsel for various businesses.
Vining’s practice focuses on intellectual property, media law, and First Amendment counseling and litigation. His experience includes trademark and copyright enforcement and litigation and proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Mull’s practice focuses on intellectual property litigation, patent preparation and prosecution, and intellectual property strategic advising, including review of patentability and non-infringement search results and preparation of related opinions. His practice covers a diverse range of technologies, such as construction equipment, LED lighting systems, and wireless communication equipment, and his litigation experience includes pre-filing activities through trials in cases before federal district courts and the International Trade Commission.
“The group of highly respected lawyers who have joined us in Atlanta are the right business and cultural fit for Buchalter,” added Bass. “We have immediate plans to further expand in Atlanta and the Southeast in the very near future.”
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Buchalter is a full-service business law firm representing local, regional, national, and international clients in a multitude of practice areas and their subspecialties, among them: Bank and Finance, Corporate, Health Care, Litigation, Insolvency and Financial Law, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Real Estate, and Tax and Estate Planning. Buchalter, with approximately 500 lawyers, has offices in California, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington. For more information about the firm, visit: buchalter.com.
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