Knobbe Martens Starts 46 Associates, Attorney Roster Now at 248
With the addition of 46 new associates this week, Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear has now become the biggest law firm in Orange County, Calif. It will now have 170 attorneys there, compared to 152 at Rutan & Tucker, a business firm based in Costa Mesa which has long been the largest law partnership in the area.
Knobbe Martens, which specializes in intellectual property law, is starting 30 of those new hires at its headquarters in Irvine, and the additional 16 attorneys will practice in three other Southern California offices, Seattle, Wash, and Washington, D.C., reports the Orange County Business Journal (sub. req.).
Both the Seattle and Washington, D.C., offices have been established within the past year. The new associate class is the largest in the firm’s history, the firm says in a press release about its expanding attorney roster.
Why is Knobbe Martens expanding, as other law firms downsize in a difficult market? It’s focused on the right practice area, according to the press release:
“As one of the top-ranked intellectual property law firms, the firm has continued to grow in response to an increasing demand domestically and internationally for intellectual property expertise across a number of industry sectors, including health care, high-tech, and retail,” the release states.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Firm Pays Associates Less and Partners Equally, Requires Fewer Hours”
