2014

Salima meraniPartner, Knobbe Martens olson & bear

Merani devotes half of her time as lead IP counsel for young technology companies seeking funding and the other half of her time representing technology investment firms. In the past 18 months, Merani has been lead IP counsel in deals worth more than a billion dollars. Most recently, she was lead IP coun-sel for Ulthera Inc., a medical aesthetics com-pany, for which she spent the last six years building an extensive global patent and trademark portfolio. In June, Ulthera an-nounced its successful acquisition by Merz Pharma Group for $600 million. Merani is past vice chair of the American Intellectual Property Law Association USPTO Inter Par-tes Patent Proceedings Committee.

What do you like about working in tech?As a patent attorney, I am able to experi-

ence ground-breaking innovation at its ear-liest stages. Working with brilliant inventors who have developed technology that will change the tech landscape in the next five to 10 years is nothing short of amazing.

What don’t you like?Patent law is an incredible career and

there aren’t many downsides. During exit events (for example, when tech clients are going through an IPO or acquisition), you’re typically on call 24/7. I’ve had countless midnight, 5 a.m., Saturday night and Sunday morning conference calls, es-pecially when dealing with executives who are located in Europe and Asia.

Name a mentor and the most impor-tant thing you learned from him or her.

My parents, who firmly believed that book smarts, though critical, were not enough; you also had to be street smart and be able to communicate with confidence and pres-ence. They put me in public speaking com-petitions at the age of seven ...

Favorite gadget?Anything that streams new episodes of

“Orange is the New Black” and old epi-sodes of “House M.D.”

Least favorite part of being a lawyer?See above; being on call 24/7 can be a

rush. But when you have back-to-back tech deals, it can be draining. Decompressing can be even tougher. When you’re used to getting urgent messages every five minutes, sitting politely at a dinner party without looking at your phone can be challenging.

Name the most overhyped thing in tech today.

After multiple lectures from a dear law school friend (now a world-renowned tech

privacy expert), I’ve learned that any tech-nology that knows who you are, where you are and what you’re doing at any given time has to be approached cautiously.

Biggest accomplishment outside of work?

Teaching the art of persuasive argument to my 8-year-old nephew. His nickname is now “Loophole”.

2014

Reprinted with permission from the September 22, 2014 edition of THE RECORDER © 2014 ALM Media Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited. For information, contact 877-257-3382 or reprints@alm.com. # 501-09-14-06

Salima Merani, Ph.D.Partner, Knobbe Martens2040 Main Street, 14th FloorIrvine, CA 92614949-760-0404salima.merani@knobbe.com

Working with brilliant inventors who have developed technology that

will change the tech landscape in the next five to 10 years is nothing

short of amazing.”