Stradling Yocca's Stephen Kong
Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth has added Stephen Kong, former in-house counsel at Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, as a shareholder in its Santa Monica, Calif., office.
Kong, who was senior corporate counsel at the Sony division, will focus on technology transactions and intellectual property licensing. While at Sony, he was lead attorney for the research and development and strategic business groups responsible for Sony PlayStation matters in North America and Latin America.
Stradling Yocca, with about 110 attorneys, is one of a number of firms boosting their presence in the so-called "Silicon Beach" region, where high-tech companies have expanded recently. Google Inc., Hulu LLC and Demand Media Inc. have offices in the Santa Monica area. A convergence of technology and entertainment is driving much of the growth, which includes expansion in Los Angeles.
Last month, LeClairRyan added five intellectual property and litigation lawyers to its Los Angeles office. In July, Cooley opened an office with four partners. Also in October, Thompson & Knight launched an L.A. practice. Other firms that have added attorneys in the area include Pepper Hamilton; Winston & Strawn; and Foley & Mansfield. Last year, Dallas litigation firm McKool Smith debuted an L.A. office.
"Stephen makes a terrific addition to our growing team in Santa Monica," Stradling Yocca director David Lafitte said in a press release.
Kong received his juris doctor degree from Emory University School of Law in 1995.
