(Reuters) – Loeb & Loeb has hired Brent Babcock, an experienced patent attorney from Womble Bond Dickinson, to lead the firm’s Patent Trials and Appeals Practice Group (PTAB) as its partner in Los Angeles, the firm said Monday.

Babcock told Reuters on Monday he was “really tickled” by the opportunity to join a West Coast based company that has had a big brand for “over a century in the IP space.”

This decision follows on from a recent wave of hires by companies seeking to consolidate their patent practices.

Alyse Pelavin, managing partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office, said in a Monday statement that Loeb & Loeb is “delighted to welcome Brent as we continue to expand our expertise in patent litigation and advice. on the West Coast “, and that” Babcock’s excellent litigation background, international network and deep understanding of intellectual property litigation make him a remarkable addition to the firm. “

Babcock has nearly 30 years of experience in patent litigation at PTAB, the United States Patent-focused Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and other federal courts. He practiced at Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear for 26 years, where he was a partner before joining Womble, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 2018.

Babcock worked in Womble’s office in Irvine, Calif., And led his PTAB testing practice group. He called Womble a “great company with a lot of great people” and wished them “success that I’m sure they will have as they go along,” but said “being in California, the platform Loeb form seemed to be probably a best fit for my practice. “

Womble did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Babcock has represented clients in a wide range of industries such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, cellular communications and computer processing, including SAS Institute, the subsidiary of the Merck Sigma-Aldrich Co group and Vulcan Industrial.

Babcock said he was eager to help grow the patent practice at Loeb & Loeb, which he said the company has grown over the past decades.

Loeb is well known for his entertainment law practice – including copyright and trademark law – in addition to having numerous clients in the tech industry.

Babcock received an undergraduate and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as an MBA and a law degree from Georgetown University.

Read more:

Patent litigators take leaps and bounds amid surge in intellectual property practice