50 Years of IP Excellence

In June of this year, Christie, Parker & Hale celebrated an important milestone when it reached its 50th anniversary. From its humble beginnings in 1954, through its tremendous growth in the 1990's, to its current place among the nation's elite intellectual property law firms, CP&H has been fortunate to have wonderful clients and a cast of talented lawyers and support staff. We look back with pride at the firm's history, and forward with great expectations for the years ahead.

CP&H -The Early Years¹
James B. Christie, Robert L. Parker, and C. Russell Hale formally started their namesake firm in 1954, after having practiced together for a short while as the Law Offices of James B. Christie. The three founders' diverse backgrounds — mining, chemistry, and electrical engineering; law degrees from Fordham University and Loyola University — were complementary and placed the firm on a very solid technical and legal footing.

An important early client was United Geophysical Corporation, a Pasadena-based company headed by Herbert Hoover, Jr., the son of the President of the United States. Also significant was Consolidated Engineering Corporation, the manufacturing and research arm for United Geophysical. Much of the work involved seismic exploration, with its attendant need for precise, accurate geophones, galvanometers, and recording equipment. Southern California, with its oil fields and burgeoning electronics and aerospace industries, was a perfect locale within which to practice patent law.

As Consolidated Engineering grew, so did CP&H. Vacuum tubes gave way to solid state devices, computer software became patentable, and long-time clients transformed themselves and were joined by other worthy enterprises. Consolidated Engineering became Consolidated Electrodynamics, then CEC, and then was acquired by Bell & Howell, which later spun off ElectroData, an early computer company. ElectroData was in turn acquired by Burroughs Corporation, which became a substantial client of the firm. Another branch of CEC yielded Unitek Corporation, which developed — and patented — such diverse products as orthodontic appliances and precision welding equipment. Union Oil, which long had benefited from Bob Parker's counsel, tapped CP&H as patent lawyers for CUSS: a consortium of oil companies who were developing pioneering technology for off-shore drilling from floating vessels and stationary platforms. The technology led to what would become another firm client: Global Marine Drilling Corporation, a worldwide provider of off-shore drilling expertise for global oil companies.

Jim Christie passed away in 1959 at the relatively young age of 55. After his death, Bob Parker and Russ Hale managed the firm through steady growth until Bob's death in 1980 and Russ's retirement in 1986. Today, Russ enjoys a comfortable retirement in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Although its founders are no longer with it, Christie, Parker & Hale continues to benefit from their legacy of technical and legal knowledge, commitment to clients, and consideration of others.

Great Clients
Over the years, CP&H has been truly fortunate to represent many successful clients, from nearly every corner of the globe. In addition to the CEC family of clients, Union Oil, and the CUSS consortium, another important early client was Lear, Inc. (and the related company, Lear Siegler), a leader in gyroscopic platforms for navigational systems. In the late 1960's, Russ Hale, assisted by Edwin Hartz, represented Lear in a bitter patent infringement and licensing dispute with Adkins. Russ argued his case before the United States Supreme Court, ultimately convincing it to overturn the doctrine known as "licensee estoppel," which had theretofore prevented patent licensees from challenging the validity of patents under which they were licensed. The result was an important legal and economic victory for Lear.

Today, CP&H represents some of the world's largest companies — and many smaller clients — as well as individuals. Included are some of the most prolific patent and trademark filers in the world: Alcatel, Avery Dennison, Boeing, Broadcom, Caltech, Discus Dental, Fujitsu, Gemstar, Samsung, and the University of California. CP&H is recognized as one of the top patent and trademark law firms in the United States, easily competing with general firms and IP firms over ten times its size. In the mid-1990's, a team of CP&H lawyers successfully defended McGaw, Inc. (now B. Braun Medical) in a patent infringement action filed by a major international health care provider. $100 million in asserted damages were at stake, but McGaw prevailed and was awarded its attorneys fees. (The opponent's patents were also held to be unenforceable.) In 1997, David Dillard and Art Hasan won a $20 million verdict for Super Health Institute, a small importer of Chinese health foods and supplements — one of the largest verdicts ever rendered in a trademark action.

Representation of international clients is an important part of CP&H's practice. As one example, we have filed hundreds of U.S. patent applications for Samsung, the largest manufacturer of plasma display panels in the world. Many other companies from Asia, Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world look to CP&H for patent and trademark protection.

CP&H lawyers also assist their clients with national and international licensing programs. Bob Green, for example, is outside counsel to Ronald A. Katz, the holder of an extensive portfolio of patents in the telephony field. The "Katz portfolio" has been licensed to many of the largest companies in the telephone, banking, and computer industries, and has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in license royalties.

A Culture of Collegiality and Excellence
Half a century has passed since three lawyers formed a partnership in 1954, and the firm has grown in size. The firm's culture, however, remains unchanged. Collegiality, legal and technical expertise, and a strong commitment to clients; these are the hallmarks of Christie, Parker & Hale. The firm's 50 attorneys share lunch each Friday at a "PQ"² seminar, with the Pasadena and Newport Beach Offices connected by video. These seminars enable CP&H attorneys and law clerks to stay abreast of the law, and foster a sense of firm community and camaraderie. Monthly dinners and an annual retreat further strengthen the informal relationships between attorneys.

In keeping with the founders' tradition, nearly every lawyer at Christie, Parker & Hale has a degree in a field of science or engineering, and many of the attorneys have advanced degrees. The entire spectrum of modern technology is represented: chemistry, physics, math, biology, computer science, metallurgy, materials science, and many fields of engineering, including electrical, mechanical, civil, and aerospace. Bud Carney, now of counsel to the firm, even has a degree in naval architecture! Of course, the practice of patent, trademark, copyright, and other types of intellectual property law, requires skilled lawyers, and we believe that Messrs. Christie, Parker, and Hale would be as proud of our attorneys' legal credentials as of their technical expertise. CP&H lawyers have degrees from some of the finest law schools in the country, and distinguished themselves with law review memberships, moot court performances, and other honors. CP&H attorneys enjoy both the firm's well-developed reputation as an elite IP boutique, and the personal reputation of expertise and commitment that comes from active membership in legal organizations, distinguished conduct before the Patent and Trademark Office, and regular appearances before the state and federal judiciary.

50 Years of IP Excellence. We look forward to the next 50 years.

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¹ We are indebted to retired partners Bill Johnston and Russ Palmer, both of whom still practice as counsel to the firm, for their fine work in preparing an early chronology of Christie, Parker & Hale.

² So-called because the cases that are discussed are reported in U.S. Patents Quarterly (PQ), a legal reporter of recent patent, trademark, and other intellectual property law cases.