Law360 (February 7, 2016) -- General counsel and other in-house lawyers from some of the largest corporations have named 30 intellectual property attorneys who are at the top of their game when it comes to delivering outstanding client service, recognition they earned by aligning IP strategies with clients' business goals and by offering more advice on reaching better patent litigation settlements.

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Robert Conway

Robert Conway, a Duane Morris LLP partner who was named on BTI's All-Star list for the second year in a row, knows the importance of having a deep understanding of the business priorities and needs of his clients, and it helps that before he moved over to private practice, he served as in-house counsel for more than two decades at several companies, including General Electric and Lucent Technologies.

"Sometimes outside attorneys don't recognize the financial pressures that are put on in-house counsel or what happens in the hallways of companies," Conway said. "When I'm negotiating an IP transaction, I know what the other side is going through internally and all the committees and higher-ups that have to review an issue. I tailor my position and strategy to take that into account, and it helps me get a better result for my client. I'm realistic about what I can do as well as when and how I can do it."

Conway also mentioned that having a master's degree in business administration in addition to his law degree has given him a leg up when working on IP commercial transactions and general commercial work.

"Being able to understand the business lingo and theory behind what is going on is a real advantage," he said. "When my clients are up against a situation that has risks or problems, I never say 'no' without giving alternatives. My job is to help them understand various courses of actions and the risks as well as to help them meet their objectives in a legal and sound way."

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