Spencer Fane Opens Washington D.C. Office, Adds Three Partners

Kansas City-based Spencer Fane LLP has entered the second-largest legal market in the country with the addition of a new office in Washington D.C.

To better establish a foothold for the law firm’s latest market, Blair Jacobs, Christina Ondrick and John Holley will join Spencer Fane’s Washington D.C. presence as partners. The three partners will operate under the firm’s intellectual property practice, according to a release.

Jacobs represents high technology innovators and serves as lead trial counsel and strategist in intellectual property and trade secret matters in district courts.

Ondrick focuses on patent litigation in nearly every significant patent jurisdiction, specializing in complex infringement cases in addition to handling trade secrets, unfair competition, and antitrust claims.

Holley works on patent infringement litigation in the federal district courts and the International Trade Commission. He has experience managing pre-filing diligence, claim construction, fact and expert discovery, dispositive motions and trials for patent infringement litigation.

“We were attracted to Spencer Fane for its unique ability to simultaneously nurture core values of intellectual humility with a fierce resolve to win on behalf of clients,” Jacobs said in the release. “Our group connects with the firm’s culture in many of the same ways in that we are focused on winning but also recognize the value of team is found in diverse perspectives, comprehensive experiences, and a desire to apply both to present arguments that appeal both emotionally and intellectually to juries and judges.

Spencer Fane’s IP practice has added 12 attorneys to the group since the beginning of 2023 in the Houston and Minneapolis markets.

“Our firm has made a strategic decision to lean in when it comes to recruiting and empowering teams of professionals to collaborate in ways that draw on both the strengths of their experience and the strengths of our culture, and our intellectual property team is an excellent example of that intentionality in action,” Spencer Fane Chair Patrick Whalen said in the release. “Blair, Christina, and John bring deep experience in representing high technology clients in the area of intellectual property with an approach that is humble, creative, and inclusive, all of which are central to our team approach to serving clients.”