HOUSTON, March 22, 2016—Duane Morris LLP is pleased to announce that partner Thomas W. Sankey will become the managing partner of Duane Morris’ Houston office. Sankey succeeds partner Charles E. Harrell, who served in that role since 2006.
“Tom’s outstanding accomplishments as a trial lawyer, strong leadership of a division of the firm’s largest practice group and deep knowledge of the Houston market have fully prepared him to take on this new position,” said Duane Morris Chairman and CEO John J. Soroko. “Charles Harrell has done an outstanding job leading our Houston office for the past 10 years and his positive contribution to our firm will certainly continue through his ongoing and very active corporate law practice.”
“The talent and breadth of my Houston colleagues, across all disciplines, never ceases to impress me,” Sankey said. “We’re a dynamic office that works very well within our own group, and within the broader Duane Morris firm. It’s a privilege for me to step into the leadership role.”
Sankey will also remain leader of the Intellectual Property Litigation division of the firm’s Trial Practice Group. He has substantial jury trial experience which includes extensive intellectual property and commercial litigation experience, focusing on patents, copyrights, trade secrets, unfair competition, employer/employee disputes and the Lanham Act. Sankey has represented major telecommunications companies, online banking entities, inventors, electronic device companies, semiconductor companies, pharmaceuticals, banks, medical supply companies, medical R&D companies and others. Additionally, he has represented inventors of digital media portfolios in patent infringement actions brought against numerous infringers, resulting in the recovery of tens of millions of dollars in judgments and settlements. He has also litigated cases arising under the Architectural Work Copyright Protection Act (AWCPA).
Sankey has handled trade secret cases in the medical device industry, auto parts industry, and oil and gas industry, as well as others. He has handled appeals before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as Texas Appeals Courts and the Texas Supreme Court. Sankey represents clients in trademark and copyright disputes both before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in various federal district courts. He has tried numerous misappropriation of trade secret cases in both federal and state courts.
Examples of Sankey’s experience include:
- Defending a major telecommunications corporation in various patent infringement disputes throughout the United States.
- Bringing an action in the Eastern District of Texas on behalf of a corporate patent holder against major cable and satellite TV providers for infringement of a patent directed to DVR technology, resulting in a multimillion-dollar settlement for the client.
- Obtaining on behalf of New Strong Group Limited a decision from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, granting damages of attorney’s fees plus interest on interpled funds, after the court determined the opposing parties acted in bad faith, without any colorable claim, and intentionally interfered with a contract by filing a lawsuit claiming an interest in the interpled funds.
- Defending a Taiwanese manufacturer of circuit board architecture in a patent infringement action brought by a non-practicing entity (NPE) in the Eastern District of Texas. The case resulted in a settlement that the client found favorable.
Sankey is a 1986 graduate of South Texas College of Law, where he was assistant technical editor of the South Texas Law Journal, and a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Tennessee. He is board certified in Civil Trial Law by The Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has also recently been inducted into the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).
About the Duane Morris Houston Office
The lawyers in the Houston office of Duane Morris leverage the resources of our national law firm in the representation of clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small entrepreneurial ventures. The Houston office continues to expand the breadth of services its lawyers provide to a wide range of larger public companies, privately-held middle-market companies, emerging growth companies and entrepreneurs. Our lawyers have longstanding ties to the Texas legal and business communities and have been practicing law in Houston for many years. They understand the business and legal challenges faced by clients doing business in Texas, throughout the U.S. and around the world.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP, a law firm with more than 750 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally, is asked by a broad array of clients to provide innovative solutions to today’s legal and business challenges.
Duane Morris Names Thomas Sankey New Managing Partner of Houston Office
March 22, 2016
