First, the three intellectual property lawyers met when they all worked for Duane Morris LLP. Later, they all jumped to the firm Rimon PC. And now, the three — along with three other Rimon lawyers — have gone out on their own, opening a new boutique firm called KXT Law.
The firm takes its name from the last-name initials of the initial trio: Karineh Khachatourian, David Xue and Amir Tabarrok. Together, they launched the new Redwood City-based firm to provide IP and litigation services to offer clients an alternative to larger firms. It debuts on this year's IP Law Firms List at No. 25 (see the full list below).
"During the pandemic, peoples' views of how we work and what a law firm looks like has evolved, and with that, we saw an opportunity to address a niche, as they say, to provide customized, tailored services to our clients," Khachatourian said. "We thought it's now or never, and so we took the plunge."
Khachatourian serves as KXT Law's managing partner, a role she previously played at the Silicon Valley branches of both Duane Morris and Rimon. Xue worked as an executive for two Chinese technology companies before entering private legal practice with a focus on patent issues. And Tabarrok, who previously was an in-house IP attorney for San Jose-based semiconductor firm Altera Corp., has a focus on drafting and prosecuting technology patent applications.
"I've worked in high-tech companies for quite a few years, in both engineering and manager capacities. It helps me to have an inside view into how a corporation works," Xue said. "Right now, most of my clients are high-tech companies in the Valley. So while providing advice to them, I try to take into consideration their business' strategies and what they're trying to accomplish."
Tabarrok said that his background in electrical engineering, math and science helped him "logically connect the dots when in examination with the patent office ... It enables me to argue one way or another why a patent should be issued."
Joining them are three other former Rimon lawyers — Vinh Le, Oren Torten and Nick Woloszczuk — and three staff members.
At the new firm, Tabarrok and Xue will oversee the "prosecution" side of the firm, helping clients apply for patents and other legal forms of IP, and Khachatourian will oversee the litigation side.
"We don't want to take no for an answer," Tabarrok said. "If a client wants something, we get creative to achieve their goal to the best of our ability."
