Salt Lake City — Foley & Lardner LLP announced today that it is opening an office in Salt Lake City with the addition of an intellectual property litigation team as part of its ongoing strategy to increase the firm’s presence in key markets.

The new location is Foley’s 25^th office worldwide and is anchored by the addition of new Partners David Wright and Jared Braithwaite, Senior Counsel Michael Manookin, and Special Counsel Taylor Wright. All four team members come from a mid-size, regional law firm that focuses on intellectual property and complex litigation. The group counsels clients of all sizes in a variety of industries, including health technology, security, software, and energy.

“Salt Lake City is quickly gaining ground as one of the nation’s foremost technology and startup hubs, with a multitude of technology firms doing business in the metropolitan area. This is an opportunity for the firm to be at the forefront of the legal market in a vibrant and growing city,” says Foley Chairman and CEO Jay Rothman. “We are thrilled to welcome David and this team to the firm. They are all top-notch IP litigators who bring extensive experience that complements our existing practices and strengthens our abilities to be a strategic partner and meet the evolving needs of our clients.”

The establishment of a Salt Lake City office is a significant next step in the firm’s goal to expand its full-service offerings to clients in the Innovative Technology and Health Care & Life Sciences Sectors, as well as build stronger relationships with the rich talent pool of attorneys from the region’s outstanding educational institutions, including Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School and University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law.

“My colleagues and I are extremely excited to join Foley and leverage the firm’s national platform and expansive capabilities to provide better service and meet the legal needs of our clients,” says David Wright, who will serve as office managing partner. “Additionally, having lived in the Salt Lake City area for my entire life, including graduating from the University of Utah and BYU law school and spending my career up to this point at Utah firms, I’m looking forward to expanding Foley’s local presence, growing the office, and stewarding community involvement.”

The office will be located at 136 South Main Street, Suite 400.

David R. Wright – Office Managing Partner
David Wright focuses on complex and intellectual property litigation, including false advertising, unfair competition, theft of trade secrets, and copyright, patent, and trademark infringement cases. He offers experience in transactional matters, such as licensing and contracts, as well as providing strategic counseling on implementing corporate IP policies and procedures. Wright has successfully represented clients at the appellate and trial court stages in federal and state courts, including before the U.S. Supreme Court, and before the International Trade Commission.

Jared J. Braithwaite – Partner
Jared Braithwaite focuses on litigation, intellectual property procurement, data security, and privacy, bringing a 360-degree perspective to protecting and enforcing intellectual property assets and mitigating information risk. His clients turn to him for a wide range of business disputes and litigation–including patent, trademark, copyrights, unfair competition, trade secrets, and other matters relating to business contracts. Braithwaite has appeared before the International Trade Commission as well as state and federal courts across the country, including before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.

Michael A. Manookin – Senior Counsel
Michael Manookin focuses on IP and complex litigation, having represented clients in high-stakes patent litigation in Federal District Court and the International Trade Commission. He previously served as an extern for Justice Thomas Lee at the Utah Supreme Court.

Taylor J. Wright – Special Counsel
Taylor Wright focuses primarily on litigation matters, including domestic and international patent and trademark litigation and enforcement. He also handles matters related to misappropriation of trade secrets, trade dress infringement, and breach of contract.