San Francisco intellectual property firm Townsend and Townsend and Crew is carving out its spot on the East Coast by focusing — at least initially — on patent prosecution and patent litigation.

The 200-lawyer firm announced Monday that its new Washington, D.C., office will launch with lawyers from Kenyon & Kenyon and McGuireWoods. Over the next three years, says Townsend Chairman James Gilliland Jr., the firm hopes to bulk up and expand to offer full intellectual property services there.