SEATTLE / ORANGE COUNTY, August 4, 2025: Morgan Lewis welcomes three partners in the firm’s Seattle and Orange County offices: Colin Heideman, Jeremy Anapol, and Christie Matthaei from intellectual property litigation boutique Knobbe Martens. Along with the arrival earlier this year of a five-partner West Coast IP litigation team from Knobbe Martens and a three-partner East Coast trademark protection team from Perkins Coie, the firm has added 11 IP partners in 2025. The newest trio brings deep technical knowledge and proficiency representing a range of tech companies in disputes before courts nationwide and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
“The continued expansion of our IP team on the West Coast reflects our commitment to meeting the evolving needs of clients seeking sophisticated counsel in a region where innovation and competition intersect. This accomplished trio enhances our litigation bench, strengthens our capabilities across key markets, and deepens long-standing relationships with shared clients,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon.
“As technology companies advance in fast-moving, high-stakes global markets, the expansion of our IP litigation team reinforces a platform focused on full-spectrum IP support,” said Louis W. Beardell, Jr., leader of Morgan Lewis’s global IP practice. “Our integrated US and international growth strengthens a 200+ lawyer global IP practice positioned to deliver strategic protection for innovations and brands across key commercial hubs.”
Morgan Lewis’s IP practice continues to experience considerable growth and strategic expansion, particularly in jurisdictions where patent litigation is increasingly complex and business critical. In the past 12 months, the firm has added 12 IP partners across its US offices, including Ali Razai, Benjamin Anger, Benjamin Everton, Brandon Smith, and Jacob Peterson as part of the five-partner West Coast team in Orange County and Seattle; Fab Vayra, Lindsay Allen, and Colleen Ganin as part of the three-partner team in Washington, DC and New York; and Sarah Guske in San Francisco. Additional practice strength has been added in the United Kingdom and across Europe with partners Tim Powell and Hiroshi Sheraton in London; Alexander Ritter, Dr. Alexander Klett, and Dr. Christoph Mikyska in Munich; and Mathilde Carle, who joined as part of a 54-lawyer, multi-practice team in Paris.
About the Team
Colin Heideman, resident in the firm’s Seattle office, has been winning patent cases for leading technology and medical device companies for nearly 20 years in district courts around the country and at the Federal Circuit. His success stems from his ability to focus large, complex litigation matters on key case-dispositive issues and to develop the record necessary to win on those issues. His strategic approach has served him equally well in inter partes review proceedings (IPRs), including dozens of successful IPRs where he served as lead counsel. Colin cofounded the Canadian American Bar Association and has served as its vice president and secretary-treasurer.
Jeremy Anapol, resident in the firm’s Orange County office, focuses on patent litigation and IPRs involving computer hardware and software, achieving victories in cases throughout the country. As a former software engineer, Jeremy has applied his technical expertise to patent disputes focused on many computer technologies, including authentication, media streaming, network infrastructure, signal processing, and speech recognition, among others. Jeremy also looks beyond patents to advance his clients’ goals in each case, and having litigated successfully in other areas such as antitrust, contracts, fiduciary duty, and trade secrets.
Christie Matthaei, resident in the firm’s Seattle office, represents a wide variety of clients in all aspects of IP disputes, with a focus on patent litigation. She counsels clients on prelitigation matters, including analyzing patent infringement and validity. Prior to law school, Christie utilized her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering while working at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as a chemical engineer on projects related to alternative energy and green chemicals. During her time in law school, she interned for the White House, working in the Office of Science and Technology Policy.