SLW Opens Silicon Valley Office

In September 2004, SLW opened a Silicon Valley office in San Jose, California, with patent attorneys Andre Marais and Garth Vivier, who come to SLW from Blakely Sokoloff Taylor and Zafman LLP.

“Opening the Silicon Valley office was a natural progression for us,” said Steve Lundberg, SLWK’s managing shareholder. “We already have many clients based in Silicon Valley. Opening this office will make it easier for us to serve existing clients, and help us reach out to new ones.”

Andre Marais is a former partner at Blakely Sokoloff, and joins SLW as a shareholder. His practice focuses on strategic IP counseling, US and foreign patent prosecution, patent infringement analysis and opinions, and IP due diligence work, particularly in the networking (including Internet), software, communications and electronics technologies.

Garth Vivier was a partner at Adams & Adams, then a partner at Blakely Sokoloff, and comes to SLW as of counsel. Garth's practice focuses on US and foreign patent prosecution, patent portfolio development and management, validity and infringement analyses and opinions particularly in computer hardware and software, business method, mechanical device, Internet, telecommunication and digital audio technologies.

The Silicon Valley office will have its own on-site paralegal, but staff support and attorney collaboration from the Minneapolis office will be possible via the Internet, thanks to FoundationIP (FIP), a web-based patent law case management tool.

“It is exciting to be establishing this office,” said Marais, “with the full resources of SLWK’s more than sixty attorneys and sixty staff, and its cutting-edge case management and quality systems, backing us.”