MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Robins Kaplan LLP® announced today that Jeffrey Gleason, James Koelzer, Seth Northrop, and David Prange have been named partners. The firm’s Executive Board has also elected Logan Drew, James Kitces, Oren Langer, Troy Tatting, and Brandon Vaughn as principals.
“The partnership is thrilled to welcome such a strong class of partners and principals, whose areas of strength range from healthcare, insurance, and intellectual property to class action litigation and medical malpractice,” said Martin Lueck, Chairman of the Executive Board. “All of these practice groups play a key role in driving the continued success of Robins Kaplan, and while these nine lawyers bring diverse specialties to their work, they all share an extraordinary talent for litigation and client service.”
Partners:
Jeffrey Gleason (Minneapolis) focuses his practice on healthcare law, government investigations, and complex business litigation. He represents healthcare plans in multi-million-dollar litigation with providers involving claims of improper billing, breach of contract, and fraud, and has represented Fortune 500 companies in complex business and antitrust disputes. Prior to joining Robins Kaplan, Mr. Gleason was a trial attorney in the Civil Fraud Section of the Department of Justice, where he led False Claims Act investigations and litigation on behalf of the United States.
James Koelzer (Los Angeles, Silicon Valley) counsels and represents insurers in a broad range of disputes relating to professional liability policies, energy liability policies, construction defect wrap programs, facultative reinsurance, and first party property policies, as well as the defense of bad faith litigation. Mr. Koelzer clerked for the Honorable John C. Coughenour of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, and previously worked at the Lloyd’s Claims Office in London, England.
Seth Northrop (Silicon Valley) focuses his practice on helping businesses handle all phases of high-stakes intellectual property and media litigation, including patent, trade secret, trademark, trade dress, and copyright disputes. Prior to his legal career, he worked as a systems and software engineer for numerous semiconductor and software companies, including the successful company he co-founded and exited.
David Prange (Minneapolis) focuses his practice on patent, trade secret and licensing litigation, as well as advising clients on the protection and monetization of intellectual property assets. His cases have covered a wide range of technologies, including: personal electronics; wireless communications and sensor technologies; aircraft navigation, fail-safe, and GPS systems; vehicle transmissions; chemical materials and laminates; and medical devices. In recent years, he has represented plaintiffs and defendants in patent cases involving source code issues, including the successful assertion of source code-based patent claims at trial.
Principals:
Logan Drew (Minneapolis) represents both plaintiffs and defendants in patent infringement matters and other contractual disputes relating to clients’ IP assets. He has represented clients through every stage of litigation, including pre-suit investigation, initiation of lawsuits, fact and expert discovery, claim construction, summary judgment, and trial.
James Kitces (Boston) counsels and represents large business insurers in first party coverage, third party liability coverage, industrial subrogation claims, and inspection claims. He has represented clients through every stage of litigation, from pre-suit evaluations to trial and appeal. Following his graduation from law school, Mr. Kitces represented the State of Georgia as an Assistant Attorney General in courts throughout Georgia.
Oren Langer (New York) has experience in intellectual property litigation that spans various industries including pharmaceuticals (under the Hatch-Waxman regulatory framework), chemicals, telecommunications, video-gaming, and retail services. He recently played a major role in a trial and appellate victory over a middle-of-the-night sleep aid medication that received the 2016 LMG Life Sciences’ “Hatch-Waxman Impact Cases of the Year” award. He is also the principal editor and contributor to the firm’s quarterly bulletin GENERICally Speaking: A Hatch-Waxman Litigation Bulletin, which concerns ANDA patent litigation issues and the generics business.
Troy Tatting (Minneapolis) has represented both businesses and individuals in complex commercial, class action, and mass tort litigation. His practice focuses on the representation of individuals harmed by defective pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices. Notably, he was part of the bellwether trial and litigation team in the multi-district litigation (MDL) involving the smoking-cessation drug Chantix. He has been elected by his peers as a Chair of a national litigation group, is a regular speaker at national conferences, and has served in multiple leadership roles in mass tort MDLs. He has been recognized as a “Minnesota Rising Star” by Super Lawyers since 2013 and currently serves on the Executive Board of a local homeless shelter.
Brandon Vaughn (Minneapolis) is a personal injury, medical malpractice, and product liability attorney who provides advocacy and justice for those who have been harmed by the medical system. Additionally, Mr. Vaughn provides pro bono representation to clients in the areas of family law and immigration law. He is active in numerous professional organizations, including the American Association for Justice, and sits on the Twin Cities Diversity in Practice Young Lawyers Board. He is a member of the firm’s Diversity and Hiring Committees and chairs the firm’s Mentoring Committee. He was named an “Up and Coming Attorney” by Minnesota Lawyer in 2016.
About Robins Kaplan LLP®
Robins Kaplan is among the nation’s premier trial law firms, with more than 220 lawyers located in Boston; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; Naples, Fla; New York; and Silicon Valley. The firm litigates, mediates, and arbitrates high-stakes, complex disputes, repeatedly earning national recognition. Firm clients include—as both plaintiffs and defendants—numerous Fortune 500 corporations, emerging-markets companies, entrepreneurs, and individuals.
