Minneapolis, MN (January 28, 2010) – Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P., one of the nation’s leading litigation law firms, announced today it is expanding its operations to New York. The new office, which will be located in Manhattan, will be led by David Leichtman and Hillel Parness, who will be joining the firm as partners. Leichtman and Parness are both partners at Lovells LLP. Also joining Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P., as a partner, is Bryan Vogel.

The firm plans to expand the New York office over the next year to create a platform for its trial lawyers to address the needs of industry leading companies with significant litigation in the U.S.

Martin R. Lueck, Chairman of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P., said, “We believe a strong New York presence is central to our future, our competitive standing in the marketplace, and our growth strategy. This move will enhance our ability to provide existing clients with highly sophisticated litigation and trial experience in the areas of financial, business and intellectual property litigation, and will enable us to take advantage of opportunities unique to the New York marketplace.”

“As we take this important step, we are extremely pleased to welcome David Leichtman, Hillel Parness and Bryan Vogel to the firm. They are proven trial attorneys with deep experience and outstanding judgment, as well as enviable track records winning complex commercial and litigation matters,” said Mr. Lueck. “With these highly talented and respected attorneys on board, we are well-positioned to develop our New York presence and increase the number of opportunities our marquee trial lawyers have to represent clients in high-stakes litigation.”

Leichtman practices in complex commercial and intellectual property matters, including patent, copyright, trade secret, and trademark litigation, representing a wide range of industries, including companies in the media, publishing, music, biopharmaceutical, medical devices and electronics businesses. Leichtman served as a partner in the Intellectual Property, Media & Technology practice at Lovells LLP from 2007 to 2010 and was formerly a partner in the Litigation and Intellectual Property practice groups at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. He received his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law. David is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.

Parness manages a wide variety of copyright, trademark and trade secret litigation matters, including music, software, new media, and Internet law infringement and licensing cases. He has spent significant time working on securities, product liability, white collar criminal and other complex commercial litigation matters. Parness joined Lovells LLP in 2006, where he practiced as a partner in the Intellectual Property, Media & Technology practice. Prior to joining Lovells, he was counsel to Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner LLP, and an associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. He received his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law. Since 2002 he has served as a member of Columbia’s Adjunct Faculty, where he teaches a seminar in Internet law.

Vogel focuses on intellectual property litigation, arbitration, and counseling, with a particular emphasis on patent, trade secret, copyright and trademark matters. A registered patent attorney, he represents clients in a broad range of industries, including clean technology, chemical, polymer, life sciences, consumer products, telecommunications, electronics, software and media and entertainment. Most recently, Bryan was of counsel in the New York office of Lovells, and prior to that was an associate at Morgan Lewis and Fish & Neave. Before law school, he worked for Montell Polyolefins as a research engineer in the Advanced Materials Division and for Insight Integration, Inc. as a project engineer.

“We are thrilled to be joining Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, a dynamic litigation powerhouse with a nationally-regarded reputation in intellectual property and complex trial litigation,” said Mssrs. Leichtman, Parness and Vogel. “This is a unique opportunity for us to grow our practices and enhance our intellectual property and complex litigation resources. The firm’s vast knowledge and experience, and its national presence will provide our clients with a wide array of options for their litigation and trial needs. In addition, we were extremely impressed with the firm’s commitment to pro bono and community, a rich tradition we will emulate in the New York office.”