Irell Adds DC Office and USPTO Associate Solicitor Philip Warrick

07.2021

Irell & Manella LLP announces the launch of its Washington, D.C. office, which will open its doors this fall. The D.C. office will bolster the firm’s intellectual property practice, particularly in the areas of appeals, USPTO proceedings and policy work, along with its best-in-class litigation practice. The office will be led by Irell partner Andrei Iancu, the former undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the USPTO, who rejoined the firm in April. Iancu will split his time between Irell’s D.C. and Los Angeles offices. Along with Iancu, the D.C. office will include Philip Warrick, who is joining the firm as counsel, effective July 12, 2021. Warrick previously worked at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where he served as an associate solicitor and IP counsel detailee to U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE).

In addition to Iancu and Warrick, the D.C. office will feature Michael Fleming, the former chief administrative patent judge for the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the USPTO, who has been with Irell since 2015.

“We are very excited to formally launch the D.C. office and welcome Philip to Irell,” said Jonathan Kagan, a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. “Having a D.C. presence will allow us to strengthen our robust IP practice and better meet the needs of our clients. It also brings us closer to the action for Federal Circuit appeals, inter partes reviews and other USPTO proceedings, as well as U.S. International Trade Commission matters.”

Warrick will focus his practice on intellectual property, including patent litigation, appellate and policy matters. Prior to joining Irell, he was an associate solicitor for the USPTO since 2015, where he advised the agency on intellectual property and administrative law. In addition, he represented the director and agency in federal court, which included arguing more than a dozen appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Warrick also served as an IP counsel detailee to Senator Coons on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee since early 2019. In this role, he spearheaded legislative efforts and provided policy counsel to Senator Coons and the judiciary committee on all aspects of intellectual property.

“Philip is an excellent lawyer and all-around great person,” said Iancu. “His background in private practice and all three branches of government gives him a unique perspective that few IP lawyers have. I look forward to continuing to work closely with him and leveraging his experience and skill-set to help clients with all their IP matters.”

Prior to his government service, Warrick worked as an IP attorney in private practice. Following law school, he served as a judicial clerk to the Hon. Richard Linn of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He earned his J.D., with high honors, from George Washington University Law School, where he was a member of Order of the Coif and served as editor in chief of The George Washington Law Review. Warrick obtained his B.S. in Computer Science and a B.A. in Philosophy, magna cum laude, from the University of Akron.

“I’m excited to join Irell and honored to help establish the firm’s D.C. presence,” said Warrick. “Irell has an incredible reputation for creatively and successfully resolving the most significant and complex challenges in IP law. I look forward to working alongside Andrei once again and to employing my patent, appellate and policy expertise on behalf of the firm’s clients.”