Practice areas of particular emphasis in the Palo Alto office include:

Antitrust
Our antitrust practice is part of an international antitrust group that assists clients involved in civil and criminal antitrust investigations and litigation, and advocates before the United States Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission, the European Commission's DG-COMP, and competition authorities in other nations. The antitrust lawyers in the Palo Alto office have particular expertise in antitrust issues involving from intellectual property and high technology. We also advise companies and trade associations on compliance with foreign and domestic antitrust laws, regulations, and policies.

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Appellate & Supreme Court Practice
Our Appellate and Supreme Court Practice is the largest practice of its kind in the United States, featuring four former Deputy Solicitors General, two former Assistants to the Solicitor General and numerous former Supreme Court law clerks and faculty from leading law schools. Collectively, our appellate lawyers have argued 188 cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and have briefed and argued hundreds of cases in federal and state appellate courts across the nation.

Our appellate practice covers many fields, including constitutional law, punitive damages, intellectual property, class action certification, white collar criminal defense, employment discrimination, antitrust, product liability, tax, and civil forfeiture. Of particular interest to our California clients is our expertise in California's Unfair Competition Law, Business & Professions Code § 17200.

In the Supreme Court, Mayer Brown lawyers represent either parties or amici in approximately 15 cases each term, arguing, on average, three to four per term, including six during the 2002 Term. The cases we have argued in the Supreme Court cover a variety of subjects, including federal preemption, federal jurisdiction, constitutional limitations on punitive damages, employment discrimination, and federal criminal law.

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Corporate & Securities
The Corporate & Securities practice works closely with the Firm's more specialized practice group to provide a full range of M&A, securities and financing expertise to public and private companies. Particular areas of expertise include private equity fund formation and operation, the negotiation of strategic alliances and joint ventures, and advising Boards of Directors with respect to their obligations under federal and state law. In addition, lawyers in the Palo Alto office are integral members of the Firm's Biotech, Pharma & Life Science, Venture & Technology, and Telecommunications & Media Practice Groups.

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Government Relations and Global Trade
With offices in Palo Alto and Los Angeles, our California government relations practice represents clients in legislative, regulatory, enforcement, and transactional matters involving federal, state, and local governments. Clients include corporations, trade associations, governmental entities, and not-for-profit organizations. The practice is particularly strong in high technology, energy, transportation, land and water use, environmental, health care, and campaign and election law.

Our team consists of seasoned attorneys with substantial experience in government, including the former United States Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative, the former Speaker of the California Assembly, the former Minority Leader of the California Assembly, the Deputy Legislative Secretary to the Governor, and the Deputy Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Intellectual Property
The Palo Alto IP Group practices in four major areas of IP law, including:

• Litigation of disputes involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, unfair competition, licenses, franchises and related antitrust matters.
• Preparation and prosecution of applications for patents, trademarks and copyrights.
• IP Portfolio evaluations and strategic assessments.
• IP transactional matters including IP licensing and IP due diligence.

The Palo Alto's IP practice encompasses the fields of biotechnology, chemistry, electrical and mechanical engineering, and computer hardware and software for clients in a wide range of businesses. The office has registered patent attorneys as well as experienced IP trial lawyers with substantial experience in obtaining, enforcing and transferring IP rights.

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Outsourcing
The lawyers in the Palo Alto office are an integral part of Mayer Brown's renowned outsourcing practice, one of the largest and most experienced in the field. Our lawyers have played a significant role in the outsourcing revolution, providing sound legal and business advice to companies who have helped define best practices in outsourcing. As a global force, Mayer Brown has more than 50 outsourcing lawyers in the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

These lawyers advise established and emerging companies in structuring forward-thinking outsourcing solutions. We develop customized solutions for on-shore, near-shore and off-shore outsourcing transactions, including the outsourcing of business processes and functions, energy management, e-commerce transaction processes and support, mainframe and midrange systems, desktop and laptop computers, help desks, local and wide area networks, telecommunications, Internet/intranet, audio/video conferencing, application development and maintenance, and leasing/procurement.

We regularly handle transactions ranging in size and complexity from multi-billion dollar global outsourcing transactions to routine out-tasking arrangements. Our lawyers have developed innovative methodologies and tools that facilitate and expedite the successful completion of contract negotiations, while preserving and even strengthening the customer relationship.

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Tax Controversy and Transfer Pricing
The Palo Alto tax controversy and transfer pricing group specializes in resolving disputes with the IRS prior to litigation. Larry Langdon, former IRS Commissioner for LMSB (corporate taxpayers) and the Firm's Director of Global Tax Practice, is resident in the Palo Alto office. While at the IRS, Larry spearheaded IRS efforts to create mechanisms to resolve tax disputes quickly and effectively. Other local members of the practice have extensive experience in assisting taxpayers in audits, IRS appeals, competent authority, advance pricing agreements, and requests for rulings. The group advises clients on a wide range of domestic and international tax issues, including transfer pricing and cost sharing.

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