Notable Successes

Yung-Hoon (Sam) Ha Ph.D.

Desmarais LLP is pleased to announce that Dr. Yung-Hoon (Sam) Ha has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner, expanding its focus on inter partes review (IPR) work. Dr. Ha, who started today, September 1, 2020, has extensive experience representing multinational technology companies and will help Desmarais LLP build out its technology-focused patent litigation practice by complementing it with his experience in post-grant proceedings.
 
Dr. Ha was previously a partner in Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP’s Intellectual Property Department in New York. While there, he secured several successful outcomes in IPR proceedings, including helping win one of the largest IPR matters on record that invalidated more than 370 claims on 10 patents across multiple defendants before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), which were affirmed by the Federal Circuit.
 
“We’re very happy to welcome Sam to the firm,” said John Desmarais, founding partner of Desmarais LLP. “He’s a proven patent lawyer and will be a major asset as we expand our IPR capabilities. He brings a strong depth of knowledge on IPR proceedings, and his technical background and expertise are top notch.”
 
Dr. Ha’s post-grant proceedings before the PTAB were often accompanied by parallel patent litigation matters in the federal courts and before the International Trade Commission, where he focused on developing case themes and substantive infringement/validity positions. In addition, he has secured numerous patents for clients from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and has a deep understanding of patent prosecution procedures that he has often leveraged in his patent litigation matters and post-grant proceedings.
 
“I’m looking forward to helping further bolster Desmarais LLP’s expertise on complex litigation and IPR proceedings,” Dr. Ha said. “Desmarais LLP is one of the industry’s leading intellectual property firms, and I’m eager to build upon its already-strong foundation of litigation and IPR work. This is one of the most exciting areas of patent law right now, and I’m really pleased to help grow this practice at the firm.” 
 
John Desmarais led the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice at Kirkland & Ellis prior to establishing Desmarais LLP in 2010. Since its founding, Desmarais LLP has focused on technology-driven patent disputes, and, in the last 24 months, the firm has achieved several high-profile wins in the federal courts, including defeating more than $400 million in patent claims against Cisco Systems brought by Egenera; eliminating $123 million in patent claims (along with obtaining $1.9 million in attorneys’ fees) for Cisco against Straight Path IP Group; winning an $82.5 million jury verdict for IBM against Groupon (followed by a $57 million settlement payout); and securing a $400 million settlement payout for Cisco from Arista Networks.
 
Desmarais LLP now looks to expand its work on IPR proceedings, seeking to pair its successes in the federal courts with similar achievements before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. 
 
“IPRs have long been an important part of our patent litigation practice, but this year we’ve heightened our focus in this area,” John Desmarais said. “We believe developing a prowess in IPR proceedings is not only a critical part of the patent litigation process, but using a single firm to handle parallel litigation, both in the federal courts and before the PTAB, can provide a competitive advantage.”
 
Prior to entering the legal field, Dr. Ha worked as a research assistant at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and published extensively in scientific journals, in addition to serving as a reviewer for journals and on conference proceedings. He is also a named inventor for two technology patents related to shrinkage of 3D materials and the synthesis of transparent, conducting polymer films (Nos. 7,329,377 and 7,320,813).
 
Dr. Ha earned his law degree at Fordham University in 2009, his doctorate degree in materials science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2002, and his bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering at Cornell University in 1997.
 

• New York Law Journal – “Desmarais Hires Wilmer Partner, Tasks Him With Building Patent Office Practice”  
• Law360 – “Desmarais Taps Ex-WilmerHale Partner To Lead PTAB Practice” (subscription required)

Yung-Hoon (Sam) Ha Ph.D.