“Matthew Powers, head of litigation at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in Redwood City, filed a countersuit for Apple against Kodak last week,” Elinson reports. “In its dispute with Nokia, Apple has already hired Boston’s William Lee, co-managing partner of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr. And in its patent offensive against HTC Corp.’s Google phones, Apple is using Kirkland & Ellis top patent lawyer Robert Krupka, from Los Angeles.”
“Although Powers and Lee have suffered some notable defeats at trial in Texas in recent years, they are seen as the cream of the country’s patent bar,” Elinson reports. “All three of the firms are ranked No. 1 in IP litigation by Chambers. And all three partners have billing rates close to $1,000 an hour, according to people familiar with those rates.”
“Their assignments aren’t the typical disputes. Apple faces dozens of patent infringement lawsuits, but many of them are filed by patent trolls willing to settle for the cost of litigation,” Elinson reports. “In contrast, the cases against Nokia, Kodak and HTC are fights with real companies that all want a piece of the smart-phone market.”
Full article here.
And when are we going to see the fruits of their labor?
Never thought I’d say this but this looks like a real smart investment.
Hello There. I found your blog the usage of msn. That is an
extremely smartly written article. I will make sure to bookmark it and come back to learn more of your useful info.
Thank you for the post. I’ll certainly comeback.
$1,000 an hour doesn’t get you one guy. It gets you a whole team of people.
I don’t mind Apple spending a lot on defending it’s patents.
They have been burned so badly in the past.
Lawyer expenses are awful but in this case Apple has to protect its innovation. Doubt any company in history has had so many copycats swarming the bandwagon.
New app …. iSuit
Kodak, Nokia and HTC beware. Apple has 41+ billion in cash reserves. How much do you have?
I’m pretty sure the $1000 rate is per person. If you’re a partner at a top firm, all that experience is worth something. You’re paying to borrow all that valuable gold in his brain.
I can guarantee the $1000 doesn’t get you a whole team…
the billing for the people making copies on their copy machines will be the ballpark of $100/hr. You wouldn’t get much of a team at those rates.
$1000 per hour. Man, it takes me a whole day to make that much in my profession. Gotta love the oil patch.
Yes and no, $1000/hr. rate. Though these top attorneys negoiate their rates with each client and can vary, $1K/hour is probably per partner, and will include the associates that work directly under the partner. If that partner feels like bringing in another partner on the case, it’ll be an additional rate charge, either negotiated with Apple or rolled into the 1st chair’s rate.
… billing rates close to $1,000 an hour
I can’t comprehend this. It’s easier to put into context if you think of it as ….
… billing rates close to two iPad’s an hour
This shows another aspect of how failure has made Apple and Jobs stronger and so much wiser.
After Microsoft stole Apple’s GUI ideas in the 90s and almost killed Apple, Jobs has learned to protect the crown jewels with as much legal artillery as you can buy.
I suspect Apple’s new internal motto is: Innovate & Protect
I work in-house in a Fortune 500 legal department, and have hired Kirkland & Ellis in the past. The top partners at the firm make more than $1,000/hour. That’s only the billing partner. There’s an entire army of junior partners, associates and paralegals involved in these cases. You only bring in that kind of fire power when there’s a lot at stake.
Pretty sure the loser will have to pay the other guys legal fees…
Why is it always a “high-powered” legal team?
With Apple, shouldn’t it be an efficient low-powered EnergyStar legal team?
$1k/Hr Legal Billing
$41 Billion + in Cash & short term securities.
=
More lawyers than just about anyone else can afford.
If Apple had Steve (instead of Scully), the cash and the lawyers maybe the case against Windows all those years ago would have gone better? How much would that be worth? In that context 1000 K an hour seems peanuts.
Mat Powers, now there’s a hard hitting name. Does he come with a cape?
“And all three partners have billing rates close to $1,000 an hour, according to people familiar with those rates.”
My son (who has been out of work for 18 months and is sick) was billed $306 for six minutes advice from a doctor last week. Where does he get the money?
$3060 per hour.
my lawyer is $225/hour
but is not high profile like these big firms with high billing rates, I think big firms and big billing does not necessarily mean quality, just big and expensive but not always better, just my 2 cents, a lot of patent cases have been won by small firms and even solo lawyers,
@Davewrite
If Apple had Steve instead of John Scully MicroSloth would probably have already gone under years ago. Scully running Apple to near bankruptcy with bad ideas (bad idea #1 was “Fire Steve Jobs”), was the reason Winduz got the market share.
Dumb Moves in History:
Scully firing Steve Jobs is right up there with Decca throwing out The Beatles.
I take care of sick kids. Can I get paid $1000/hour or are lawyers just that much more important to this country that the health of its citizens?
@Switcheroo
…”billing rates close to $1,000 an hour. I can’t comprehend this. It’s easier to put into context if you think of it as … billing rates close to two iPad’s an hour.”
“Apple Inc. just added another big, expensive name to the growing list of lawyers engaged in the company’s latest round of patent wars.”
Release the hounds!!!!