Akin Gump Names Rubén Muñoz Philadelphia Office Partner in Charge

(Philadelphia) – Akin Gump is pleased to announce that intellectual property partner Rubén Muñoz has been named partner in charge of the firm’s Philadelphia office. Mr. Muñoz takes over for litigation partner David Comerford, who stepped down from the role after 12 years.

Established in 1996, Akin Gump’s Philadelphia office is home to lawyers who focus on complex commercial litigation, class actions and intellectual property litigation. During Mr. Comerford’s tenure as partner in charge, the office saw notable growth, including the 2010 addition of Mr. Muñoz and a group of intellectual property litigators (learn more here), including intellectual property head Steve Maslowski, and the 2018 addition of a group of prominent consumer class action litigators (learn more here). Two of the partners who joined in 2018—Meredith Slawe and Kathryn Deal—co-chair Akin Gump’s newly formed firmwide retail industry group.

Mr. Comerford also has been a driving force behind the office’s efforts to support the Philadelphia community. This includes leading a decade-long partnership with the Support Center for Child Advocates, which was recognized among “the most impactful philanthropic initiatives between for-profit companies and non-profit companies that truly make a difference in the greater Philadelphia area” by Philadelphia Business Journal in 2018.

“I am very grateful to David for his many years of steady leadership and success at building a collegial environment that has made our Philadelphia office such a great place to work,” said Akin Gump chairperson Kim Koopersmith. “Rubén is a highly skilled patent litigator and highly respected member of the Philadelphia community. He has played an integral role in fostering a strong culture in the office, and I am confident that he will do a terrific job furthering the success that David helped us achieve.”

Mr. Muñoz’s intellectual property practice is focused on patent infringement litigation. He represents public, private and multinational companies in litigations involving a wide array of technologies. He represents clients in federal and state courts, before the International Trade Commission and before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent Office in inter partes review proceedings.

Mr. Muñoz was named in 2018 by Latino Leaders Magazine as among the Top Latino Lawyers, and was the recipient of the National Diversity Council “Leadership Excellence Award” in 2017.

Mr. Comerford remains a partner in the firm’s litigation practice, focusing on complex class actions and other commercial litigation. He also serves on the firm’s litigation practice steering committee.

More information about the firm’s Philadelphia office can be found here.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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