Irell Elects Two New Partners

01.2022

Irell & Manella LLP (www.irell.com) announces the election of Tony Rowles and Andrew Strabone to the firm’s partnership, effective January 1, 2022. Rowles is based in the firm’s Newport Beach office and focuses on intellectual property litigation. Strabone is based in Los Angeles and handles intellectual property and complex business litigation.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Tony and Andrew to the firm’s partnership,” said Jonathan Kagan, a member of Irell’s Executive Committee. “Both are phenomenal lawyers and all-around terrific people. We are extremely proud of them.”

Rowles focuses on high-tech patent litigation and counseling. Rowles has been a core member of multiple Irell trial teams that have obtained significant victories for clients, including recently securing more than $300 million—plus individual findings of willful infringement—for USAA in separate back-to-back trials against Wells Fargo involving mobile remote deposit technology.

Rowles represents clients in district court patent litigation, appeals at the Federal Circuit, Section 337 investigations at the U.S. International Trade Commission and prosecution and post-grant review proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He has experience in all aspects of IP litigation, including analyzing and valuing large IP portfolios, managing complex source code review, working closely with expert witnesses, arguing claim construction at Markman hearings and examining and cross-examining witnesses at trial. Rowles also represents clients in a variety of other technology-related areas, including IP licensing and commercial disputes regarding IP ownership.

Rowles earned his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2014 and his B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2011. Prior to law school, he helped develop robotic solutions to retail inventory management as a researcher on Intel’s “Future of Retail” project. He also worked as an engineer in the defense industry. Before college, Rowles served as an intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army.

Strabone focuses his practice on complex business disputes, with an emphasis on IP and securities litigation. He has represented clients in a broad range of industries, including the financial services, telecommunications, computer hardware, semiconductor, entertainment and biopharmaceutical sectors.

Strabone has experience at all stages of litigation, including recently obtaining nine-figure verdicts and findings of patent infringement, validity and willfulness in each of three separate jury trials. He was on the trial team that secured a $300 million jury award for PanOptis in a suit against Apple involving patents essential to LTE technology used in iPhones and cellular-enabled iPads and watches. He was also a member of the aforementioned USAA trial teams.

Additionally, Strabone maintains an active pro bono practice. Most recently, he successfully argued on behalf of a pro bono client in front of the California Court of Appeal to reverse and remand a custody order granting legal custody to a proven domestic violence abuser.

Strabone graduated in 2014 from UCLA School of Law, where he served as co-editor in chief of the Journal of Law and Technology. He earned his B.A. in Linguistics and History from the University of California, San Diego in 2010.