Fish & Richardson Appoints Heather Flanagan, Ph.D., to Lead Austin Office

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal Heather Flanagan, Ph.D., has been named the office managing principal of Fish & Richardson's Austin office. Flanagan succeeds Principal James Babineau, who has led the office for over a decade. The Austin office is one of three firm locations in Texas and houses over 25 attorneys and technology specialists.

"Heather is an exceptional asset to our firm, and I am confident she will lead the Austin office with the same collaborative and client-focused approach she brings to her practice," said John C. Adkisson, president and CEO of Fish. “I’m grateful to Jim Babineau for his 16 years of dedicated leadership."

“I am honored to step into the role of office managing principal for Fish’s Austin office,” said Flanagan. “Building on the strong foundation established by Jim, I look forward to continuing to support our talented team and driving excellence in service to our clients and the Austin community.”

Flanagan is also the managing group leader for the Intellectual Property Group, overseeing the development of 150 associates, technology specialists, and patent agents across Fish’s global patent prosecution, regulatory, and trademark and copyright practices. She concentrates her practice on patent prosecution, strategic patent counseling, and patent portfolio management, with a particular focus on green chemistry and sustainability, alternative energy sources, rechargeable batteries, and efficient lighting.

About Fish & Richardson

Fish & Richardson is the leading intellectual property law firm, trusted by visionaries across eras to protect their IP since our founding in 1878. Our IP litigation, prosecution, and post-grant experience is unmatched across venues and prosecution needs. We touch more PTAB cases, IP appeals, and utility patents than anyone else, and no national firm handles more District Court patent cases. Our 400+ attorneys and technology specialists — many of whom are also scientists — put that experience to work for worldwide innovators from our 14 locations in the U.S., Germany, and China. We plan today’s IP strategy with tomorrow in mind and distill our vast technical and legal knowledge to resonate with business leaders and juries. For more information, visit fr.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.