Shifting from being the top dog of Perkins Coie’s Beijing office to joining Loeb & Loeb as a partner, veteran intellectual property (IP) lawyer Scott Palmer says he is more focused on co-operating with his new colleagues and is optimistic about IP practice in China.
“I am extremely excited at the IP resources in Hong Kong. That is something I don’t have at Perkins Coie,” Palmer said in an interview with China Business Law Journal. Although he will primarily be based in Beijing, the opportunities in Hong Kong will become added motivation for his new career at Loeb & Loeb.
“So, if I can be part of the growth and the strategy at developing and enhancing our IP resources in the region, then I will definitely play that role.”
Loeb & Loeb, which has been operating in Beijing and Hong Kong for more than a decade, has always been on Palmer’s radar. He and Perkins Coie’s partner James Zimmerman will bring their entire team of 15 lawyers, paralegals and IP specialists to Loeb & Loeb’s Beijing office.
Loeb & Loeb intends to take over Perkins Coie’s IP agency in Beijing, which Palmer built and led. He described the agency as an “extremely important resource” to his IP team.
The agency serves as a backbone for the Palmer team’s customs enforcement and litigation practices as it liaises with the authorities as well as collects and formalises evidence. It also handles trademark prosecution matters including trademark filing, office actions response, as well as trademark opposition and invalidation.
During his tenure at Perkins Coie, his team experienced a strong year in litigation and he expects this momentum to continue. “We don’t see the trend lines downward for 2025 so we’re very bullish at least in the near term.” He believes the increasing demand for litigation services in China was propelled by the development of the Chinese court system during the past decade.
The Intellectual Property Court, under the Supreme People’s Court, has handled 20,338 cases since January 2019, with 10% involving foreign parties. The number of foreign-related cases increased by 28.6% year on year.
Palmer said the demand for litigation services extended abroad as “China has more sophisticated companies – technology companies and branded companies. They are playing in the international market, so we’re defending Chinese companies in lawsuits in the United States and other jurisdictions as well.”
Palmer is optimistic that clients from Perkins Coie will follow his team to Loeb & Loeb, adding that both firms have been keeping in mind the best interest of clients during the transition.
“Things are going great,” Palmer said. “Our team is very excited about the transition ahead and Perkins Coie will be moving towards a different strategic direction following our transition.”
Perkins Coie earlier announced that it will be shifting focus to Shenzhen and closing its Beijing office, with sources saying that a new office will be set up in the technology hub.
When asked whether the IP agency will expand to Shenzhen, Palmer said he could not speak on behalf of Loeb & Loeb but the firm would have to determine if there was a strong business case to build a presence in Shenzhen.
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Perkins Coie closes Beijing branch, shifts focus to Shenzhen
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