Buchanan's Addition of IP Attorney Erin Dunston to Alexandria Office Noted in Media

The addition of Erin M. Dunston to Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's Alexandria office was noted by multiple media sources, including the October 5, edition of The Washington Times, under the paper's "Movers and Shakers" column; the October 9 edition of The AmLaw Daily, under the publication's "The Churn" column; the October 12, edition of Virginia Lawyers Weekly, under its "Lawyers in the News" column; the October 19, edition of The National Law Journal under its "D.C. Moves" column; and the October 29, edition of the Washington Business Journal, under its "People on the Move" column.  It was also the focus of an October 7, article published by Law360.

In the Law360 article, titled "Buchanan Lures IP Counsel From Bingham," Dunston — who started at Buchanan on September 21 and is "versed in district court litigation, but focuses her practice mainly on interferences and opinions" — said she was attracted to the firm's "well-rounded IP practice."

"Buchanan is a good size — not terribly small, but not too large — which can have benefits for clients, but I would say the key element is the expertise within the IP group," Dunston said. "Having colleagues that are really experienced is a big plus, and there's a mix of folks licensed to practice before the [U.S. Patent and Trademark Office] who are also litigators."

The article went onto quote Todd R. Walters, the firm's executive shareholder and leader of its patent interferences practice, as saying he was "thrilled" to bring Dunston on board.

"As one of very few law firms in the U.S. with a practice group dedicated to the highly-specialized disciplines of patent interferences, reexaminations and reissues, Erin's background meshes with our firm and our practice strengths."

The article also discussed Dunston's experience assisting with more than 20 interferences before the Board of Appeals and Interference — interferences ranging from prerequest analyses to preparation for and participation in final hearings.

According to the article, "Dunston, who obtained her bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Boston College before graduating from the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law in 1999, said she enjoyed the field because it offered a 'mix of law and science.'"