Irell & Manella’s intellectual property practice spans the globe, but its offices don’t. The firm operates from just two Southern California locales Los Angeles and Newport Beach but litigation chairman Morgan Chu insisted the firm’s limited physical presence has been a plus for its practice.
The operation was built from the ground up beginning in the late 1970s, Chu said in contrast to firms that acquired boutiques or made significant lateral hires. Of Irell’s approximately 180 lawyers, 120 or so have experience with intellectual property or technology-related litigation.
