Washington, D.C. (06-June-2013) - Faegre Baker Daniels LLP is expanding its operations to Silicon Valley effective July 1, 2013. The office, which will be located at 1950 University Circle in Palo Alto, Calif., will include an increased focus on information technology led by FaegreBD Consulting senior vice president and former member of Congress Mary Bono. FaegreBD Consulting is the federal affairs and advocacy division of Faegre Baker Daniels.

With a focus on the information technology sector, the new office will initially provide intellectual property services including patent, trade secret, copyright and trademark litigation, as well as IP transactions. FaegreBD plans to expand its offerings in Silicon Valley over time, and has identified food and agriculture litigation, immigration and privacy as second phase emphases in the market.

Bono represented California's 45th District in the House of Representatives from 1998-2013. Her knowledge of and connections in California will serve as a valuable asset in development of the Silicon Valley office, and she will spend considerable time in her home state. At FaegreBD Consulting, Bono focuses her government advocacy and consulting practice on legislative, regulatory and policy matters affecting the entertainment, media and information technology industries.

"This is an exciting development for Faegre Baker Daniels and is responsive to our clients," said firm Managing Partner Andrew Humphrey. "We have been privileged to work with a number of clients with operations in California for several years. Establishing an office in Silicon Valley will allow us to serve them even better."

The new office is being opened by intellectual property partners Calvin L. Litsey and David J.F. Gross, both of whom are relocating from the firm's Minneapolis office. The firm is building a team of IP attorneys for the location, including current FaegreBD partners and associates.

"The strategy of seeding this office with existing firm partners was very important," said Litsey, who will serve as office leader for the new location. "Faegre Baker Daniels' culture and client focus are key differentiators for us, and we didn't want to lose those aspects of the firm's identity in this expansion."

Litsey is the former group leader for the firm's intellectual property practice and is a senior litigator handling complex IP cases. He has been with FaegreBD for nearly 30 years. Gross is a partner and nationally recognized trial lawyer, and currently leads the firm's intellectual property litigation practice. He is a member of FaegreBD's Management Board and has been with the firm for nearly 20 years.