SAN DIEGO, July 28, 2025 — International law firm Cozen O'Connor today announced three of California’s foremost IP litigators — Nicola A. (Nick) Pisano, Scott A. Penner, and Jose L. (Joe) Patiño — have joined its award-winning and fast-growing Intellectual Property Department. Each brings to the firm front-line experience advising on and protecting client IP assets, including AI, life sciences/medical devices, electrical, software, and mechanical technologies. All three will be based out of Cozen O’Connor’s planned North County San Diego office. Regis C. Worley, Jr., will also join the team on July 31.
“With prior backgrounds in industry and technology, Nick, Scott, and Joe have decades of relevant IP experience, not only as lawyers, but as businesspeople who can help our clients uncover and develop sustainable business solutions,” said Michael J. Heller, Cozen O’Connor’s Chairman and CEO. “Each brings experience advising on all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secrets, and unfair competition — from clearance and procurement to litigation. I’m thrilled they’ve chosen to join us.”
Pisano joins the firm as a shareholder and comes to the firm from Eversheds Sutherland. He has served as trial counsel in over 150 cases and lead counsel in more than 100, addressing patent, trade secret, trade dress, and copyright issues in federal district courts throughout the United States. His clients include U.S.-based and international startup and early-stage companies developing patent portfolios in highly diverse technical fields, including medical devices, software, and machine learning, wireless communications, general computer, telephony, and network technologies. He represents multiple European investment funds and portfolio companies regarding investment diligence, IP strategy development, and litigation relating to next-generation technologies.
“Patent disputes not only require deep technical knowledge, but also comprehensive, strategic, and communication skills. Nick, Scott, and Joe employ these assets, along with requisite backgrounds in science, technology, and industry, to develop sophisticated IP solutions,” said Camille M. Miller, chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Department. “Further, they have the litigation experience to make technical issues clear and comprehensible to a judge or jury. They’re yet another strong addition to our department and I’m happy to welcome them to Cozen O’Connor.”
Penner, who earned an AB in computer science at Harvard, also comes to the firm from Eversheds Sutherland and joins as a member. With a primary focus on patent litigation, his background includes helping clients protect a range of technological assets, from medical devices to computer software and hardware designs. Clients, ranging from multinational corporations to small technology startups, appreciate his ability to “talk code” with engineers and discuss business strategies with company executives. Recently, he secured summary judgment invalidating a number of patents asserted against his clients, conducted a due diligence source code review of an AI-based program designed to divide a large population into marketing categories, and achieved a jury verdict of non-infringement of multiple patents for a client in the anti-virus industry, all while also providing advice on contractual and portfolio management in the IP space.
As a patent litigator, Patiño comes to the firm from Buchalter and represents companies in high-stakes intellectual property disputes. During his 35 years of experience he has argued before the courts of more than 25 states in disputes of material importance, including before state and federal trial courts and their appellate arms. He brings particularly extensive experience with patent litigation-specific proceedings, including before patent trial jurisdictions throughout the United States, before the International Trade Commission, and as special intellectual property counsel in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. He has also argued claim construction issues before the courts of California, Delaware, New Jersey, and Texas. The breadth of Patiño’s practice runs the gamut from life sciences to medical devices, and from mechanical disputes to a diverse set of disputes in the electrical arts. This includes matters directed to automotive industry, including telematics, biomedical devices, including dental implants and stents, malware detection, optical networking, pulse oximeters, routers, standards-based disputes, semiconductors, and the full array of connectivity and telephony technologies and the evolving relevant standards. He previously worked with Pisano and Penner at Eversheds Sutherland. He joins the firm as a member.
Worley, who will join the firm as a member, counsels clients in all matters of intellectual property and works with them to protect and enforce their various technologies, including sensors, medical devices, manufacturing equipment, software and computer hardware, and consumer electronics. He is a registered patent attorney and has patent prosecution and interference experience before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Before his law career, Worley founded and managed a forensic consulting corporation and testified as an expert witness regarding forensic and biomechanical engineering issues.
“I think I speak for the four of us when I say it’s exciting to be here,” Pisano said. “While many firms are quietly narrowing their IP offerings, Cozen O’Connor continues to expand its IP Department and its capabilities. Considering the resources we have at our disposal — and the importance of IP in today’s global business market — this is a very good place to be.”
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has over 925 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O’Connor serves its clients’ needs through 33 offices across two continents.