Newly Appointed Delaware Office Managing Principal Bob Oakes Shares Vision for Leadership

Law360 Pulse featured Robert "Bob" Oakes following his appointment as managing principal of Fish & Richardson's Delaware office. In the article, Oakes shares his people-focused leadership approach and his commitment to creating opportunities for younger lawyers through mentorship, training, and collaboration. His appointment comes as the Delaware office continues to serve clients in one of the country's most active jurisdictions for patent litigation and other intellectual property disputes.

Excerpt: "One of my goals is to create an environment where individuals feel supported, valued, and empowered to contribute. I also believe strongly in mentorship and open communication, and I want to ensure that attorneys at every stage of their careers have opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed." 

Read the full article: Fish & Richardson Has New Leader For Its Delaware Office

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Fish & Richardson Has New Leader For Its Delaware Office

Law360 -- A longtime Fish & Richardson PC attorney took over as managing principal of the intellectual property firm's Delaware office on Thursday, telling Law360 Pulse that his immediate priorities include helping the office 
continue to grow and creating opportunities for younger lawyers.

Robert M. "Bob" Oakes is taking the helm in Delaware from Susan Morrison, who has led the office for the past decade, the global IP firm announced on Monday.

Oakes told Law360 Pulse by email on Thursday that he is "honored to serve as Delaware office managing principal and build on the strong foundation that has been established here."

"The Delaware office has a talented group of attorneys and professionals, a collaborative culture, and a long history of success," he said. "I look forward to supporting our people and helping position the office for continued growth and success."

He added that he is "excited about helping to shape the future of this office," and he is "particularly passionate about creating opportunities for younger lawyers to learn from experienced colleagues and benefit from the kind of mentorship and training that helps accelerate professional growth." 

Oakes said he will employ "a collaborative and people-focused leadership style." 

"One of my goals is to create an environment where individuals feel supported, valued, and empowered to contribute," he said. "I also believe strongly in mentorship and open communication, and I want to ensure that attorneys at every stage of their careers have opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed."

Oakes said he has already served as a group leader for Fish & Richardson, mentoring and supporting associates in the Delaware office.

"One aspect of my background that will be particularly valuable in this role is the opportunity I've had to lead teams through complex patent disputes and work closely with clients facing significant business and legal challenges," he said. "Those experiences have underscored the importance of clear communication, teamwork, and investing in the development of talented professionals."

He will apply that knowledge to help support the continued success of the Delaware office as managing principal, he said.

Fish & Richardson's Delaware office was launched in 1999 and currently has 20 attorneys, Oakes said. It also wields a team of patent agents and other staff, according to the firm's website. 

The firm's Delaware attorneys advise clients about IP matters, including patent, trademark and copyright disputes, and handle cases in one of the nation's busiest patent litigation jurisdictions. Delaware is thus "a strategically important market" for its clients, the firm said.

Oakes focuses his practice on litigating patent disputes in federal courts, advising clients about patentability and licensing matters, providing infringement analyses, and other matters, the profile says. He has particular experience litigating patent matters in the life sciences sector, and handling cases involving drugs, medical devices, and biotech and diagnostic inventions, according to the profile.

Among his more recent matters, he is on a team representing ModoPayments in its patent infringement suit in Delaware federal court over its COIN payment data management system.

Oakes has spent his entire 18-year legal career with Fish & Richardson, where he also was a summer associate during law school, the firm said in its announcement on Monday.

He earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2008, now called Carey Law School, a master's degree from Kansas State University and an undergraduate degree from Emory University.

Before his legal career, he was a biologist at consulting business Louis Berger Group from 2004 to 2005, and he spent a brief stint in Johnson & Johnson's legal department, according to his profile on Fish & Richardson's website.

"Bob has deep roots at Fish, and he has long been a valued leader within our Delaware office and across the firm," the firm's President and CEO John C. Adkisson said in a statement on Monday. "I am confident he will build on the office's strong history and lead our Delaware office with the same sound judgment and commitment he brings to his practice."

--Additional reporting by Adam Lidgett. Editing by Nicole Bleier.