4 August, 2015
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP announced today that Ya-Chiao Chang has joined the firm as a partner in its intellectual property practice, resident in the firm’s Beijing office. Ya-Chiao joins Orrick from Kirkland & Ellis where he was co-founding partner of the Beijing office.
“We are delighted to welcome Ya-Chiao, a phenomenal lawyer of strong standing and experience defending PRC and Taiwanese clients in their high stakes US IP litigation and in resolving disputes around the world,” said Xiang Wang, Orrick’s Asia managing partner. “As a native of Taiwan with strong connections to that market, he will play a leading role in expanding our cross-border IP practice for Taiwanese companies.”
Ya-Chiao represents international companies in complex IP matters, with a focus on US patent litigation. He has experience litigating patents in wireless communications, integrated circuit design, digital TV, semiconductor and liquid crystal display, among other technologies, as well as assisting clients in resolving patent disputes between companies in Asia, Europe and the US.
“Representation of Asia-origin tech and electronics companies is a real focus for Orrick, and comprises about a third of our patent litigation practice. We are thrilled to add to our bench a lawyer with Ya-Chiao’s credentials and deep knowledge of the issues that are most important to these clients,” said Mark Wine, co-chair of Orrick’s patent practice.
“I am excited to join an IP team of Orrick’s quality and reputation in mainland China and the US and look forward to spending time in Taiwan, my mother island, building the firm’s IP practice representing Taiwanese companies,” said Ya-Chiao. “I am honored to join Orrick and the ranks of Xiang Wang and Mark Wine who are preeminent practitioners in their respective fields of China and US IP.”
Orrick is ranked by Chambers Asia-Pacific as Band 2 in IP and was selected in 2014 by the National Law Journal for its “IP Hot List” and by Law360 as “IP Practice Group of the Year.” The firm represents leading global technology companies in their most important IP disputes.
Ya-Chiao is highly rated in Chambers Global and Chambers USA as an IP expert in mainland China, Taiwan and the US and is also a two-time recipient of the International Law Office Client Choice Award (2012 and 2014). He is a former patent examiner at the US Patent Trademark Office.
Dual educated in China and the US, Ya-Chiao earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Cooper Union, a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and a Law Diploma in Chinese Law from East China University of Politics and Law.
Ya-Chiao is part of the recent expansion of Orrick’s IP practice in China. Yufeng (Ethan) Ma, the former Director of IP, Asia at Corning Incorporated, joined Orrick’s Shanghai office in November 2014. Both of them will support Orrick’s China IP practice, which is a major presence in Asia. In addition, Ya-Chiao is the second addition to Orrick’s Beijing office in the past few weeks. The firm welcomed corporate and tech partner Ning Zhang from O’Melveny & Myers in July.
