Perkins Coie has announced that Marcelo Halpern has joined the firm as Partner in the Licensing & Technology practice in Chicago. He joins the firm from Latham & Watkins.

Halpern, the co-founder and former chair of Latham & Watkins’ Technology Transactions practice, focuses his practice on transactional, strategic and corporate representation of software, consulting, internet, e-commerce and technology companies, as well as non-technology companies on technology and intellectual property related matters. 

“Marcelo is an experienced technology licensing lawyer who will strengthen our technology licensing capability in the Chicago office, the East Coast and nationally,” said Chris Wilson, Chicago Office Managing Partner.

Halpern has extensive experience structuring and negotiating technology and intellectual property-oriented strategic alliances and joint ventures, IT and business process outsourcing, and counseling on digital strategy concerns including open source licensing, data security, data use and privacy issues, including HIPAA, GLB and cross-border data privacy issues. He also works on Internet advertising and sponsorship agreements and intellectual property and technology issues arising in the context of mergers and acquisitions, financing and bankruptcy transactions.

"Marcelo is a stellar addition to our group of more than 50 attorneys across the country that concentrate on structuring, negotiating and documenting a wide variety of arrangements to acquire, develop, protect and distribute technologies around the world," said James Lisbakken, Firmwide Co-Chair of the Licensing & Technology practice.

Halpern earned his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law where he also served as Associate Editor of the Columbia Business Law Review. He received his M.B.A. from Columbia University and his B.A. from Wesleyan University. He has been recognized as one of the leading technology and outsourcing lawyers in Illinois by Chambers USA. He has also been honored by The Best Lawyers in America, Illinois Leading Lawyers Network and Legal 500 Guide.

Halpern is Chair of the Practicing Law Institute's program on Understanding the Intellectual Property License. He is a member of the American Bar Association Science and Technology Section, Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association Computer Law Committee and International Technology Law Association in Tech Law. He has served as an Adjunct Professor of Computer Law at The John Marshall Law School in both the J.D. and LL.M programs. He also serves as President of the Board of Directors for Illinois Legal Aid Online.

About Perkins Coie: Founded in 1912 in Seattle, Perkins Coie has more than 800 lawyers in 19 offices across the United States, China and Taiwan. The firm is celebrating its 100th anniversary of representing great companies ranging in size from start-ups to FORTUNE 100 corporations. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of Perkins Coie's Chicago office.