Leading PTAB Litigator Scott A. McKeown Joins Ropes & Gray in Washington, D.C.

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Aug 15, 2017, 14:02 ET

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global law firm Ropes & Gray announced today that Scott A. McKeown has joined its intellectual property practice as a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C. office, and as chair of the firm's Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) practice. Mr. McKeown, one of the nation's most experienced counsel in post-grant proceedings, adds a strong element to Ropes & Gray's industry leading IP practice, known for its outstanding record handling high-stakes patent litigation cases.

Mr. McKeown is the most active PTAB trial attorney in the U.S. having personally handled over 150 PTAB trial proceedings since 2012, including those in which more than half a billion dollars was at stake. Mr. McKeown also has significant appellate experience in PTAB appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Mr. McKeown is lead post-grant counsel to some of the world's most well-known innovators. As a former electrical engineer, he has a deep understanding of a wide range of technologies, including computer software, wireless telecommunication protocols and network architectures, e-commerce applications, analog and digital signal processing, and medical devices. Mr. McKeown also maintains an award-winning blog which examines developments in patent litigation, including issues related to USPTO post issuance proceedings.

Mr. McKeown has been recognized as a leading PTAB practitioner by various publications, including Chambers USA, Legal 500, The National Law Journal, Intellectual Asset Management and Best Lawyers in America. In 2017, he was named as the "Litigator of the Year" in Virginia by Managing Intellectual Property for his successes before both courts and administrative bodies in high value patent disputes. He joins the firm from Oblon, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, L.L.P., where he was a member of the management committee and chair of the post-grant patent practice group, which focuses on post-grant counseling, litigation and related prosecution issues.

"The PTAB can be an attractive alternative to the time-consuming and costly traditional avenues for patent litigation and defense," said Richard T. McCaulley, Jr., the chair of Ropes & Gray's nationally recognized IP litigation practice. "Scott's experience with post-grant proceedings will be a significant asset to our clients. Scott is recognized as a thought leader in this space, and has been from the inception of the PTAB."

Mr. McKeown received his J.D. from Temple University School of Law and his B.S. in electrical engineering, with honors, from Temple University. Outside of his PTAB practice, he is a Professorial Lecturer in Law at the George Washington University Law School, where he teaches the course on post-grant patent proceedings.

"I'm honored to join Ropes & Gray's premier intellectual property team," Mr. McKeown said. "Having previously partnered with the firm for joint clients, I was impressed by the collaborative culture and depth of litigation expertise. The firm's complex IP work for high-profile technology companies is a perfect fit for both me and my practice."

Ropes & Gray's intellectual property practice combines a sophisticated understanding of the latest legal developments with cutting-edge technical and scientific knowledge to offer an all-inclusive suite of IP services.

The firm's IP work extends to approximately 70 countries and a wide range of industries, including life sciences, technology and media, retail and consumer, private equity and financial services, and health care and education. In the highly competitive world of intellectual property, Ropes & Gray's IP attorneys are regularly recognized for their legal acumen by Chambers, Legal 500, Managing Intellectual Property, Intellectual Asset Management and other national and global publications. The firm was also recognized by U.S. News & World Report as 2017 "Law Firm of the Year" for patent law.

About Ropes & Gray

Ropes & Gray is one of the world's premier law firms, with more than 1,200 lawyers and legal professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology and government. The firm has offices in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, and has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including private equity, M&A, finance, investment management, hedge funds, real estate, tax, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, business & securities litigation, government enforcement, privacy & data security and business restructuring. www.ropesgray.com