Summary
King & Spalding LLP, a leading international law firm, is pleased to announce that Kevin Culligan has joined the firm as a Partner in its Intellectual Property (IP) practice. Mr. Culligan brings with him significant experience in the area of IP, including patent and trademark litigation, trademark and copyright counseling, licensing, and transactional matters.Mr. Culligan's expertise in intellectual property law, including patent, trademark and copyright litigation and counseling, will be instrumental in building and expanding the firm's IP practice. His experience and knowledge in the field of IP law includes experience in the areas of patent prosecution, patent portfolio management, opinions related to patent validity, infringement and enforceability, and transactional work.
In addition to his background in IP, Mr. Culligan holds degrees in both engineering and law, which provide him with a unique perspective in advising clients on a variety of complex matters. He also has experience in inter partes review proceedings, post-grant proceedings, and appeal proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
Mr. Culligan's expertise and knowledge of IP law, combined with the resources and expertise of King & Spalding, will be instrumental in helping the firm’s clients succeed. The addition of Mr. Culligan will bring significant experience and expertise to the firm’s IP practice, bolstering its overall capabilities. His addition to the firm not only provides increased service to current clients, but will also entail greater opportunities for the firm to attract new clients.
King & Spalding LLP is pleased to welcome Kevin Culligan to the firm's Intellectual Property practice. Mr. Culligan brings with him significant experience in patent, trademark and copyright litigation, counseling, licensing, and transactional matters. His degrees in both engineering and law provide him with a unique multi-disciplinary perspective to advise clients on complex matters related to intellectual property. The substantial expertise Mr. Culligan brings to King & Spalding will be instrumental in furthering the firm's capacity to serve its clients and attract new ones in the area of IP law.
King & Spalding LLP Strengthens Intellectual Property Team
King & Spalding LLP is excited to announce the addition of Kevin Culligan as a partner in the firm's IP practice. With over 20 years of experience in the field, Kevin has the experience and intellect to build upon the firm's existing intellectual property practice. This addition to the team is part of King & Spalding's commitment to delivering the highest caliber of legal solutions to its clients.Building on Success
For more than two decades, Kevin has provided clients with comprehensive intellectual property counseling, litigation and enforcement services. Most recently, Kevin led the IP practice at his former firm. His broad base of knowledge and experience in patent, copyright, and trademark litigation provide King & Spalding's IP practice with the additional depth and the resources it needs to continue its success.Advancing the Practice
Culligan's expertise in IP litigation strategies and negotiation will allow the firm to achieve even greater success. His addition to the practice allows lawyers from all offices to work together on the most complex intellectual property matters. With Kevin, King & Spalding is well-positioned to provide clients with the intellectual property services they need and, in turn, expand the intellectual property offerings of the firm.A Longstanding Commitment to Clients
King & Spalding's IP practice encompasses a wide variety of matters, including trademark and patent litigation, transactional IP counseling, international IP protection and enforcement, and related advice on privacy and cybersecurity. The firm has a long history of providing clients with the highest caliber of legal services, and Kevin's extensive knowledge and experience will build upon that foundation.Expanding the Firm's Global Reach
Kevin's addition to the King & Spalding team will help the firm expand its global reach and broaden its services in intellectual property law. The firm's international network of offices, combined with Kevin's background in cross-border IP work, will be instrumental in the firm's continued growth and client service. This is a key hire for King & Spalding and a testament to the strength and commitment to excellence of the firm's intellectual property practice.
Kevin Culligan |
"Some of my college roommates were very colorful and interesting people who from time to time were asked to visit and talk things over with the university's judiciary board," he said. "The 'J board' was a tribunal charged with responsibility for adjudicating complaints about the conduct of students and their academic performance. Students charged with violations were entitled to be represented by other students. I represented [my roommates] a couple of times, and I liked the process very much and got some good results, so I figured that some day I might try my hand at being a lawyer."
Culligan should thank his roommates for getting into trouble, because he is now a partner at prominent international law firm King & Spalding, LLP, where he has a flourishing intellectual property practice with a number of big-name clients, including Bank of America and Becton, Dickinson and Company. The bulk of his practice, which is located in the firm's New York office, focuses on the litigation and trial of patent infringement matters.
He said that most of his work involves subject matter in the medical-device, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical fields. He has represented a number of large international companies in patent infringement actions involving diverse technologies that include chemical disinfecting solutions and pharmaceutical compositions for Alcon Laboratories, Inc., medical devices for Arrow International, and medical devices, monoclonal antibodies, and immunoassay products for Becton, Dickinson and Company, among many others.
Culligan said that one of the matters he was particularly "proud of" was his representation of College Savings Bank in a high-profile patent infringement case (College Savings Bank v. Florida Prepaid Postsecondary Education Expense Board). He ended up arguing the case before the United States Supreme Court after prevailing in the United States District Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
"It's a rare opportunity for a patent lawyer to argue before the United States Supreme Court," he said.
Culligan graduated from Colgate University in 1976 with a degree in biology. He earned his law degree from Cornell Law School in Ithaca, NY, in 1980. That same year, he joined intellectual property boutique Fish & Neave in New York. He became a partner at the firm in 1989. In addition to handling a number of big cases while at Fish & Neave, Culligan also served on the firm's managing committee from 2000 to 2004 and as acting managing partner during portions of 2002 and 2003. In June 2004, he joined King & Spalding as a partner.
Culligan said that he became interested in working at King & Spalding while working on a case alongside attorneys from the firm when he was with Fish & Neave.
"Their written work product was first-rate," he said. "And their performance in the courtroom was top-notch, too. I liked the firm's sense of fair play, of taking the high road, and the professional courtesy they extended not just to me as a lawyer representing a client with them on the same side but also to the adversary and the court. I had the impression that the firm takes the high road and does the right thing because it's the right thing to do, even if it's hard […]. I have found that the culture at King & Spalding is just as advertised: it's collegial, it's supportive, and it's professional.
He said another positive about joining King & Spalding was that he was given the opportunity to help "augment" the firm's intellectual property practice, which he said was one of the highlights of his career.
"When we came here, there was a very strong trademark practice in New York but no patent litigators," he said. "And to get that practice started and off the ground and now firing on all cylinders…it's nice to be a part of that."
About King & Spalding 
King & Spalding, LLP, has been at the forefront of providing excellent legal services to its clients for more than a century. Since its establishment in 1885, the firm has had a tradition of attracting and developing many of this country's finest lawyers. Among them are Griffin B. Bell, former Attorney General of the United States, and numerous other lawyers who have held high-level positions in the federal and state governments. The partnership also includes two past presidents and an additional nine members of the American College of Trial Lawyers, two past presidents of the American Health Lawyers Association, and three past presidents of the National Association of Bond Lawyers. Today, from offices in Atlanta, Washington, DC, New York, Houston, and London, the firm continues to provide the highest caliber legal counsel to clients from the United States and abroad. King & Spalding, LLP, currently represents more than 250 public companies, including more than half of the Fortune 100 companies. The firm also represents hundreds of clients with new ventures and mid-sized companies in emerging industries. Longstanding client relationships are among the surest barometers of a law firm's success in terms of meeting its clients' needs for legal services. King & Spalding, LLP, lawyers pride themselves on developing continuing client relationships that are productive, professional, and collegial. |
He said other career highlights include his involvement in the College Savings Bank case and being a member of the Polaroid team in the landmark Polaroid v. Kodak patent infringement case early in his career. The Polaroid team recovered almost $1 billion from Kodak, which until just last week was the single highest amount ever awarded for patent infringement.
Culligan has also utilized his experience and expertise to teach others; he has lectured at several different law schools over the years about patent misuse and licensing and about patent prosecution. He also speaks at CLE (continuing legal education) classes. This month, he will be speaking at the Practising Law Institute on patent basics for non-specialists.
Culligan had the following advice for law students:
"I think every law student should go to the very best law school that they can get into and then make the most of the experience. That opens all sorts of doors. Employers are receptive to people who work hard in law school and who go to the very best law schools; you can practice at the highest levels of the profession by making sure that that foundation is there."
"When they're interviewing," he continued, "I suggest that law students interview with as many firms as possible. If you can get your foot in the door, go talk to them. I firmly believe that as surreal as the interviewing process may be, you can get a very good sense of the different tenors of the firms you visit; and I think they are very different. At the end of the day, you walk away from the firm with some idea of the kind of people that stalk the hallways and how they treat each other…and if you're going to invest so much time and energy, you ought to do it with people you genuinely like and who treat you in a collegial and fair way."
Culligan was born and raised in Monticello, NY. He's been married for more than 26 years and has three children: a son (23) and two daughters (19 and 15). He said his hobbies include restoring and riding vintage motocross bikes and talking to people around the globe using his collection of Ham radios.
- See Top 10 Reasons Most Law Firms Have No Idea How to Hire and Evaluate Patent Attorneys for more information.
