Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft has launched an intellectual property practice with a partner from IP boutique Morgan & Finnegan.

Christopher A. Hughes, a veteran patent litigator, will join Cadwalader as head of the IP practice and as a partner in the litigation department. Hughes has previously represented IBM in patent disputes over a variety of software and hardware technologies. He also represented priceline.com in patent litigation over its “reverse auction” technology.