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Caligiuri Joins Weintraub Tobin as Of Counsel

By: Daily Transcript Staff Report

Eric Caligiuri has joined Weintraub Tobin’s San Diego office as of counsel.

Caligiuri advises domestic and international clients on complex intellectual property disputes and focuses on patent and trade secret litigation in federal district courts, California state courts, and before the International Trade Commission.

Eric Caligiuri Joins Weintraub Tobin’s San Diego Office, Further Enhances IP Capabilities

SAN DIEGO (March 31, 2015) – Weintraub Tobin, one of California’s leading, full service law firms, is pleased to announce that intellectual property attorney Eric Caligiuri has joined the firm’s San Diego office as Of Counsel. Caligiuri is the second attorney to jump to the firm from Covington & Burling LLP, joining shareholder Jo Dale Carothers in San Diego.

Caligiuri advises domestic and international clients on complex intellectual property disputes and focuses on patent and trade secret litigation in federal district courts, California state courts, and before the International Trade Commission (ITC). He has experience representing companies in a wide range of fields, including semiconductor products and processes, mobile device components and applications, networking, and systems-on-a-chip (SoCs). Caligiuri also handles patent and trademark prosecution and employment and other commercial litigation matters.

“Eric is a top-notch IP attorney with an impressive track record, and we are delighted to welcome him to the firm,” stated Michael Kvarme, executive managing partner of Weintraub Tobin. “Our IP Litigation practice has experienced substantial growth across multiple offices and IP disciplines, and Eric will play a critical role in increasing our visibility.”

Caligiuri’s addition deepens Weintraub Tobin’s IP litigation bench. He joins a team that represents a diverse roster of clients in all areas of intellectual property law and encompasses industries ranging from biochemistry, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices to electronics, communications, and software, as well as fashion and entertainment. The IP team assists their clients with identifying and protecting their intellectual property rights and defends them wherever they do business.

“I am extremely pleased to join Weintraub Tobin. The firm has a clear understanding of how to provide clients with quality work while being sensitive to the budget constraints clients currently face. Their hallmark ‘client first’ approach provides an excellent platform to further grow my IP practice,” said Caligiuri.

Caligiuri is admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Prior to attending law school, he worked as an engineer. Caligiuri was recently named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers. He earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of California at San Diego, a M.Sc. in materials engineering from California State University, Northridge, and graduated cum laude from the University of San Diego School of Law.

About Weintraub | Tobin
With offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, and San Diego, Weintraub Tobin combines its shared vision and pledge to be an innovative provider of sophisticated legal services to dynamic businesses and business owners, as well as non-profits and individuals with litigation and business needs. The firm continues its long-time strong support of the communities in which its attorneys live and work. For more information on the firm, visit weintraubstage.wpengine.com.

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Scott Hervey Quoted in International Business Times

Scott Hervey was quoted in an article in the International Business Times on how Fox’s fair use defense in a copyright infringement lawsuit arising over its use of a famous 9/11 image could change the landscape of copyright enforcement online.

Local Attorney Named Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America

By Bea Karnes (Patch Staff)

A Sacramento attorney has been chosen for membership in an exclusive trial lawyer honorary society limited to 4,000 Fellows, representing less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers.

Lizbeth (“Beth”) West of Weintraub Tobin has been selected as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA).

Fellows are selected based on excellence and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and based on superior ethical reputation. While trial experience is an important factor in selecting Fellows, the LCA also recognizes that great litigators sometimes win before trial.

West is licensed to practice law in California and Washington. She has more than 15 years of experience counseling and representing employers in all aspects of their employment relationship with their employees, including defending employers in various forms of employment disputes in federal and state courts.

She also has extensive experience representing employers in governmental audits with agencies like OSHA and others

West is consistently ranked as a Northern California Super Lawyer and was also named one of the Top 50 Northern California Women Super Lawyers for 2014 and a Top 25 Sacramento Super Lawyer for 2013. She was also included in the Sacramento Business Journal’s Best of the Bar for 2014.

Click here to read the full article.

Dale Campbell quoted in Sacramento Business Journal

Shareholder Dale Campbell was quoted in the Sacramento Business Journal. When asked what the biggest challenge facing litigators is, he stated, “Implementing an effective pretrial strategy to achieve the client’s goals rather than becoming embroiled in peripheral fights that do not advance the merits of the case. Trial lawyers need to keep their eye on the client’s desired result.”

Lizbeth West Named Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America

SACRAMENTO (March 4, 2015) – Weintraub Tobin is pleased to announce that Shareholder Lizbeth (“Beth”) West has been selected as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA). The LCA is an exclusive trial lawyer honorary society limited to 4,000 Fellows, representing less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers.

Fellowship in the LCA is highly selective and by invitation only. Fellows are selected based on excellence and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and based on superior ethical reputation. While trial experience is an important factor in selecting Fellows, the LCA also recognizes that great litigators sometimes win before trial. Thus, the purpose of the LCA is to recognize deserving, experienced, and highly qualified lawyers in their respective practice areas. The number of Fellowships is kept at an exclusive limit by design, allowing qualifications, diversity, and inclusion to align effectively with recognition of excellence in litigation across all segments of the Bar. Fellows are generally at the partner or shareholder level or are independent practitioners with recognized experience and accomplishment. The LCA is dedicated to promoting superior advocacy, professionalism, and ethical standards among its Fellows.

West is licensed to practice law in California and Washington. She has more than 15 years of experience counseling and representing employers in all aspects of their employment relationship with their employees, including defending employers in various forms of employment disputes in federal and state courts. She also has extensive experience representing employers in governmental audits with agencies like the DOL, EEOC, DFEH, DLSE, EDD, OFCCP, OSHA, and others. West conducts employment due diligence audits for businesses in connection with mergers and acquisitions to evaluate employment law compliance and identify potential liabilities. Beyond her busy law practice, she is active in supporting the education of employers and attorneys in employment law. West is a contributing editor of The Rutter Group’s California Practice Guide: Employment Litigation; co-author of the LexisNexis treatise, “California Leave Law: A Practical Guide for Employers;” and regularly writes for Weintraub Tobin’s Labor & Employment Law Blog. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Sacramento Employer Advisory Council (SEAC) and served as its Chair from 2011 to 2013. In addition, West has previously taught as an adjunct professor of law at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and continues to teach the “Elimination of Bias in the Practice of Law” course at McGeorge’s annual CLE Conference.

West is consistently ranked as a Northern California Super Lawyer and was also named one of the Top 50 Northern California Women Super Lawyers for 2014 and a Top 25 Sacramento Super Lawyer for 2013. She was also included in the Sacramento Business Journal’s Best of the Bar for 2014.

About Weintraub | Tobin

With offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, and San Diego, the Weintraub Tobin Law Corporation combines its shared vision and with its pledge to be an innovative provider of sophisticated legal services to dynamic businesses and business owners, as well as non-profits and individuals with litigation and business needs. The firm continues its long-time and strong support of the communities in which its attorneys live and work. For more information on the firm, visit weintraub.com.

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Weintraub Tobin Welcomes Leading California IP Attorney with Broad Range of Technological and Litigation Expertise

Jo Dale Carothers Joins as Shareholder, Strengthening Firm’s IP Capabilities and Extending Reach into San Diego

SAN DIEGO (January 14, 2015) – Weintraub Tobin, one of California’s leading full service law firms, announced that Jo Dale Carothers has joined the firm as a shareholder and will head the firm’s Intellectual Property group. She will also become a member of the firm’s Litigation group. Prior to joining Weintraub Tobin, Carothers was a partner with Covington & Burling LLP.

Carothers is active in various areas of intellectual property law and has significant patent litigation and trial experience. Her practice emphasizes patent and trade secret litigation and IP licensing in electrical and computer engineering, including electronics, embedded systems and high-performance computing, microprocessors/microcontrollers, memory devices, wireless communications devices and protocols, smartphones and smart TVs (along with applications), in-home networking for computing and entertainment, consumer electronics, semiconductor process and fabrication technology, packaging, power conversion, and software for numerous applications. Carothers has represented companies in litigation in federal district and state courts across the country, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and in Section 337 investigations in the United States International Trade Commission (ITC).

“The addition of Jo Dale will significantly enhance and strengthen Weintraub Tobin’s established IP practice,” stated Michael Kvarme, managing partner of Weintraub Tobin. “Her impressive and widely acknowledged expertise in IP counseling and litigation will provide significant value to our clients and complement our existing robust and sophisticated team.”

Weintraub Tobin’s IP team of attorneys represents a diverse roster of clients in all areas of intellectual property law. The firm’s IP practice encompasses industries ranging from biochemistry, pharmaceuticals and medical devices to electronics, communications and software to fashion and entertainment. The firm’s IP team assists their clients with identifying and protecting their intellectual property rights and defends them anywhere a client does business. With the addition of Carothers, Weintraub Tobin expands its total number of IP litigators and practitioners and extends its reach further south into San Diego, where a large biotech and high tech presence exists.

“I am delighted to join Weintraub Tobin’s well-developed IP practice and hope to add to its deep bench of talented IP attorneys,” stated Carothers. “I was impressed with the firm’s commitment to expanding the IP practice, as well as its continued growth.”

Among her numerous professional accolades, Carothers was named a “San Diego Super Lawyer” in 2014. She earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated, summa cum laude, from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. Carothers is currently the president of the San Diego Intellectual Property Law Association (SDIPLA).

Weintraub Tobin Achieves LEED® Certification from U.S. Green Building Council

SACRAMENTO, CA (January 12, 2015) – Weintraub Tobin announced today that its Sacramento office now holds certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The LEED green building certification program measures and rates the environmental performance of buildings and interior spaces in six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation in design process.

In 2013, Weintraub Tobin set on a path to make their offices, located at 400 Capitol Mall in downtown Sacramento, sustainable and more energy efficient. Under the guidance of Hines, the building’s property management company, Weintraub Tobin undertook several key renovations to two floors of the building. Because the updates occurred in an existing building, the changes did not involve the destruction of habitat or natural resources. Weintraub Tobin also recycled 90 percent of its construction waste rather than sending it to landfills.

At nearly 45,000 gross square feet, Weintraub’s Sacramento office utilizes the California sunshine and makes optimum use of natural lighting. By using glass walls in its conference rooms, kitchens and several interior meeting rooms, the firm minimizes its dependence on artificial lighting. Sensors automatically switch off overhead lights in offices when they are unoccupied and other design strategies employed the use of recycled materials throughout the space. Low VOC materials such as carpet, paints and adhesives were used in an effort to improve occupant health, productivity and well-being. With the use of efficient kitchen and bathroom fixtures, the firm also reduced their water consumption by 20 percent.

“Collaborating with Weintraub Tobin and other tenants to achieve real progress in sustainable building operations is a core part of Hines’ culture and services,” said Kirk Khasigian, Hines’ commercial real estate manager. “We have adopted and will continue to take on innovative practices that improve and embrace sustainability in our buildings.”

There are plans for Weintraub Tobin to extend its sustainability efforts to its other offices in San Francisco, Beverly Hills, Newport Beach and San Diego.

About Hines
Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The firm’s historical and current portfolio of projects that are underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes 1,317 properties representing more than 541 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments. Currently, Hines manages 391 properties totaling 161 million square feet, which includes 89.1 million square feet for third parties. With offices in 115 cities in 18 countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $28.2 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Hines is also a world leader in sustainable real estate strategies, with extensive experience in LEED®, ENERGY STAR®, BREEAM, Haute Qualité Environnementale and DGNB green building rating systems. Visit www.hines.com for more information.

About Weintraub | Tobin
With offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, and San Diego, the Weintraub Tobin Law Corporation combines its shared vision and pledges to be an innovative provider of sophisticated legal services to dynamic businesses and business owners, as well as non-profits and individuals with litigation and business needs. The firm continues its long-time and strong support of the communities in which its attorneys live and work. Visit weintraub.com for more information.

The Dish on Paid Time Off: How Will a New Requirement to Offer PTO Impact Local Employers?

By Lucia Ruiz, Comstock’s Magazine

New legislation mandates California businesses to provide paid sick days to employees who do not already have access to paid time off. The Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act (Assembly Bill 1522) was signed by Gov. Brown in September, making California the second state to implement statewide paid sick leave, following Connecticut.

The law, effective July 1 of this year, will entitle employees who have worked in California for 30 days or more paid sick leave for themselves or for a family member within a year from the start of employment. Employees are entitled to one hour for every 30 hours worked, but the employer may limit the use of sick days to 24 hours. Employees can accrue paid sick days to the next year, and accrued days can be reinstated if the employee is separated from the employer and rehired within one year. AB 1522 does not provide exemptions for small businesses or government employers.

Proponents of the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act include California Work and Family Coalition, Health Officers Association of California and California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO (a co-sponsor of the bill). They highlight the positive impact and long-term wellness benefits for employees who have access to PTO, saying it will benefit the 40 percent of Californians who do not already have the benefit.

Lizbeth West, shareholder at Weintraub Tobin, says this bill will also benefit employees who already receive PTO by allowing them to take “paid sick days for reasons that employers may not otherwise have designated.”

But the food-service industry has particular concerns about the bill. Chris Jarosz, a Sacramento restaurateur and president of the California Restaurant Association’s Sacramento chapter, says restaurants, unlike other types of employers, are being forced to “double the cost of an employee’s day off, because we have to pay a replacement to cover the shift. For a restaurant, it creates a huge extra expense.

“All of us in the hospitality industry value our employees and want to take care of our people,” he says, “but in this case it makes it very hard on us.”
Other opponents of the bill include the California Chamber of Commerce and California Employment Law Council. These groups maintain an alternative to mandatory PTO should be implemented, saying the law should incentivize PTO and reduce costs for employers in other areas in order to make paid sick leave more affordable for businesses.

The bill does not cover union workers, employees in the construction industry, providers of in-home supportive services and individuals employed by an air carrier, such as a flight deck or crew member.

Click here to view the article online.

Wayne Kazan Named to Variety’s Dealmakers Impact Report

Attorney Wayne Kazan was named in Variety’s Dealmakers Impact Report. According to Variety, “Just a few years ago, videogame developers sought employment on massive console games, but now those same developers want to become entrepreneurs at the top of startup studios making casual games. Kazan says that the talent-driven studios ‘still need investors and, in some cases, publishers are investors’ for access to content and options to buy studios. His client Cliff Bleszinski just established studio Boss Key Productions. Kazan’s law practice specializes in videogames, brand licensing and Hollywood creative talent.”