technology transactions practice? Forum

[turquoisesunflowr]

I'm currently a junior associate at in Biglaw NY looking to make the move to SF Biglaw - I'm from the Bay Area. I have seem numerous job postings for positions in firms' "Technology Transactions" practices. Could someone who has worked in this area, or knows someone who does, explain what people in this practice group do exactly? I am very interested in IP and have done some trademark/copyright work (registrations, filing a response to a trademark action, drafting work for hire agreement), but I'm unsure if this practice area is something I'd be interested in.

Also, any insight to the hours of this practice group? I know certain corporate areas, like M&A, have crazy hours and I really value having some semblance of a predictable schedule.

Thanks in advance!

[Old Gregg]

Depends on the firm. Your best hint is what skills the job description asks for (i.e., if it asks for experience in licensing, terms & conditions, etc.-->IP; if it asks for experience in general corporate matters, M&A, securities filings, etc.----->corporate).

[TheThriller]

Tech transactions, also known as IP Transactions, are transactions based around a company's' IP. So, such things as a sale of IP from one company to another (often tech start-up with considerable protected IP bought by a bigger company) development agreements with technology professionals (like programmers), and some venture capital that is linked to a company's IP.

IP transactions is just transactional law with the added caveat that the IP of a company is more often more important than the company itself.

[RedGiant]

Tech Trans is the IP aspect of transactions...licensing matters, locking up IP as there is a transfer of assets (merger, acquisition) and is sometimes dovetails with employment matters (who developed the IP, would it transfer, etc.). At my old firm in SV, the Tech Trans group was generally folks with undergrad engineering or science backgrounds, but not with harder IP backgrounds (passed the patent bar, doing patent pros, etc.). It's a pretty hot area, very easy to lateral in-house after you've done tech trans, but you have to have the requisite IP background (lots of IP courses in law school) in order to get into it, generally.

[Anonymous User]

I work in-house at a software company in what could loosely be called a "tech transactions" role. I basically draft and negotiate software license agreements, professional services agreements, and cloud agreements. Sometimes our buyers are represented by outside counsel, who are often in technology transactions groups at their firms, though sometimes they are in the general corporate group.

Obviously working at a firm you would get a greater breadth of experience than working for one client in-house. You might work on the IP aspects of an M&A transaction, draft a software development agreement between two parties, or work on a privacy policy for an app. There is probably a bunch of stuff you could do in life sciences too. I don't know that industry very well.

My hours are driven by the business. Because we are publicly traded there is a lot of pressure to close deals by the end of our quarter so we can report that revenue. There is an even greater push at the end of the year. That said, its going to be different at a firm with a billable hour requirement.