MoFo finds new digs as firm is 'popping at the seams': Jones Day puts new office in heart of the biotech industry

San Diego Business Journal, May 3, 2004 by Rene'e Beasley Jones

Morrison & Foerster's San Diego offices are expected to move to new digs in the fall of 2005.

The law firm has leased 78,198 square feet at 12531 High BluffDrive. The total lease amounts to nearly $30 million for a 10-year period.

MoFo looked for a new space because it is "already popping at the seams" at 3811 Valley Center Drive, said firm spokeswoman Rajka Hayden. The High BluffDrive location will give the firm room for anticipated future growth as well, Hayden said.

San Diego-based Brian Paul and Associates Architects & Planners designed the new building where MoFo will make its home. The lease was handled by Prentiss Properties. Southwind Construction, Inc. built the building.

In other MoFo news, the firm's corporate practice posted its strongest quarter since 2000. Firmwide, MoFo handled $5.8 billion of debt and equity offerings and $963 million in mergers and acquisitions in the first three months of this year.

The firm served as counsel in two of the 10 largest venture-backed IPOs in the quarter, according to VentureSource. The IPOs were Berkeley-based Dynavax Technologies Corp., a drug company founded by UC San Diego scientists, and Anadys Pharmaceuticals, a San Diego-based finn that develops treatments for chronic viral hepatitis.

Another Firm: One of the world's largest law firms--Jones Day--has opened its 294 office in San Diego.

Located near the heart of the city's biotech community, the firm's local attorneys plans to serve the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. The office employs three attorneys and officially opened in March.

Anthony Insogna is partner in charge of the San Diego office.

The new office is at 12750 High Bluff Drive. Jones Day has four other California offices: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Menlo Park and Irvine. The firm is based in Cleveland. Worldwide Jones Day employs more than 2,200 lawyers.

Arbitration: San Diego-based e.Digital Corp. filed a demand for arbitration April 20 seeking compensatory and punitive damages of up to $2.5 million plus attorneys' fees against Los Angeles-based Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten. The filing comes after weeks of unsuccessful negotiations between the companies, during which time Eclipse discussed either a buyout or restructuring of its supply agreement.

Gray Cary is representing e.Digital. The company claims Eclipse failed to deliver on its supply agreement, including canceling a non-cancelable order and misappropriation of e.Digital's intellectual property.

Eclipse makes speakers for cars. e.Digital provides the engineering and development needs of original equipment manufacturers.

What's Up: James Fazio has joined Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch's litigation team. Prior to joining the firm, Fazio served as an assistant U.S. attorney in San Diego.... Elizabeth Foster, a partner in Luce Forward's business and international services group, is chairing a China high-tech fair steering committee comprised of representatives of the San Diego World Trade Center, San Diego Telecom Council, U.S. Department of Commerce, and several San Diego companies. The committee will organize a high-tech pavilion to show in Shenzhen, China, on Oct. 12-17. It will highlight San Diego as a hub of information and communication technology activity. ... John Adler, who was a sole practitioner in San Diego, has joined Littler Mendelson. His practice includes counseling employers in higher education, professional services, manufacturing and nonprofit agencies.... San Diegans will have opportunities through May 7 to discuss legal issues with volunteer lawyers free of charge as part of the San Diego County Bar Association's Law Week 2004. For information, contact the association at (619) 231-0781.

Contact Rene'e Beasley Jones via fax at (858) 571-3628 or via e-mail at rbeasley@sdbj.com. Call her at (858) 277-6359, Ext. 3109.