About Paul Freeman
Articles written by Paul Freeman
The Powers of Persuasion
Matthew Powers is the Willie Mays of Patent litigationWhen Matthew D. Powers tries a patent case, a picture can be worth more than a thousand words. Consider the case in an East Texas federal district court where Powers was defending Microsoft against a claim that Windows XP violated a plaintiff's patent. During his opening statement, he flashed two photos side-by-side on a screen. They looked identical. But as he zoomed in, it was obvious that the two shots, taken from several thousand feet above ground, were radically different. One was a …
The Chief Legal Yahoo
Michael Callahan on negotiating with Microsoft, Google and IcahnYahoo had a rough year. First the company stock took a dive, inspiring Microsoft to jump in with an unsolicited takeover bid. Then billionaire investor Carl Icahn complicated matters by launching a very public proxy battle. Months of relentless negotiating ensued, and Microsoft finally withdrew its offer. Yahoo emerged, winded and weary, but standing alone. Meanwhile, shareholders were losing faith. The saving grace, a partnership with Google, fell apart when the rival search engine backed down …
Here's What Taxes and Tubas Have in Common
Dan Gottlieb shines when it comes to financing public projects or playing in a symphonyWhen Dan Gottlieb winds down from the demands of his busy legal career, he does it in a big way—by playing the tuba. “It’s an important part of my personal life and one of the most relaxing things I do,” says Gottlieb, a public finance lawyer with Seattle’s Gottlieb, Fisher & Andrews. “When I’m playing in a musical group, I’m in a completely different world from the day-to-day mess and hassle of a law practice.” His tuba playing began at age 12, when Gottlieb was in junior …
It's Official
Appeals court isn’t the only place Bill Hickman is right on trackOne of Bill Hickman’s most memorable experiences had nothing to do with his law practice. It came at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, when Hickman stepped onto the Olympic track to supervise the timing of the men’s 20K and 50K race walks. “It was so incredible to be there with those amazing athletes from all over the world,” he marvels. So how did Hickman, a partner in Seattle’s Reed McClure for nearly 40 years and one of Washington’s top appellate lawyers, wind up officiating at …
Personal Best
Todd Gardner has a phenomenal track record of million-dollar verdicts for injured clientsTodd Gardner has a track record that would make any personal injury lawyer proud. An example: In 2005, plaintiffs prevailed in only two medical negligence cases in Washington state, according to Gardner’s research in Jury Verdicts Northwest—one of which was a Snohomish County case Gardner brought against a hospital and a physician. The lawsuit claimed the hospital negligently failed to detect that an unborn child was bleeding into its mother’s body, a failure that caused the child’s …
No Steak Tartare for Alan Mendelson
A gentle man is sought by emerging life sciences companiesAlan Mendelson explains his passion for the life sciences industry with a story about a visit to his mother's home. He struck up a conversation there with a friend of his mother's who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. When undergoing chemotherapy, she took Neupogen, a drug developed by Amgen that stimulates production of infection-fighting white blood cells. Without it, her doctor informed her, she'd already be dead. Learning that Amgen was a longtime Mendelson client, she told him, …
An Engineer in the Valley
Thorny business problems are Gordy Davidson's playgroundBoring. That's how Gordon (Gordy) Davidson describes himself. "I've had the same job for 32 years, the same wife for 38 years and the same phone number for 40 years." When it comes to Silicon Valley technology deals, however, Davidson, a partner in Mountain View's Fenwick & West, is anything but boring. He's the partner in charge of the firm's Cisco Systems account. During the past five years his firm has represented Cisco in more than 50 acquisitions, and Davidson has been personally …
Boris Feldman wants to Save the World (And Make It Safe for Fun)
Anyone who can replace stacks of files with piles of toys can't be all badEnter Boris Feldman's office and you immediately notice the bookshelves overflowing with toys. Not the kind you find in a big-box toy store, but gadgets like a solar-powered head that moves side to side, faces-of-the-moon stress balls, a toy rabbi that plays "Hava Nagila." "I'm a gadget freak," says Feldman, a litigation partner in the Palo Alto office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Next you notice Feldman's snazzy bow tie. He's been wearing bow ties for 25 years. His wry explanation: …
Winters Can Rock
Busy Seattle patent lawyer Steve Winters finds time to jam with his band, Morris Can FlyOne of Seattle's most musical lawyers has just released a new CD. It's the second release by Steve Winters and his rock group, Morris Can Fly. The first one sold more than 2,000 copies and included a single that was played on college radio and in some smaller markets. Winters has been drawn to music since childhood. "I wrote my first song at 9," he says. It was called "Pepper and Salt Don't Mix," a tune about unrequited love. In addition to writing music, he plays five instruments: guitar, …
Intellectual Capital in San Diego
Three top intellectual property lawyers talk about practicing in a place so near to Los Angeles and Silicon ValleyIn the past, when it came to intellectual property, San Diego lived in the shadow of Los Angeles and Silicon Valley. That’s changed. Throughout the past decade, San Diego’s IP community has flourished, as evidenced by high-tech powerhouses like Qualcomm and Intuit, a sizeable number of biotech concerns and a growing cadre of lawyers prosecuting clients’ copyright, trademark and patent rights. But, as Richard Sybert, a partner in Gordon & Rees’ San Diego office, notes, “there …
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