WASHINGTON, DC -- Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, today announces the promotion of five lawyers in its Washington, DC, office to partner. The newly elected lawyers are Derek A. Auito, Bumrae Cho, Christopher W.K. Fetzer, Andrew Shaw and Bruce B. Vance.

These new partners join 42 lawyers promoted across Dentons in North America.

“This is an exceptionally proud and exciting time for Dentons in the US as we grow, not only through our latest combinations but from within our own outstanding talent,” said Mike McNamara, Chief Executive Officer of Dentons US. “We welcome Derek, Bumrae, Christopher, Andrew and Bruce as our newest partners and reward their dedicated work in serving our clients and their commitment to the Washington, DC, legal community.” 

“Our partners in Washington remain steadfast in our commitment to our clients’ future through these highly accomplished lawyers,” said Michael W. Zolandz, managing partner of Dentons’ Washington, DC, office. “As we continue to grow our talent, Derek, Bumrae, Christopher, Andrew, Bruce and Rajesh reflect the best of our team in DC and know they will become future leaders within Dentons and within the business community in Washington.”

Also promoted to counsel in Washington, DC is Rajesh C. Noronha.

Bios of the promoted lawyers:

Derek Auito (Intellectual Property and Technology, Washington, DC) focuses his practice on intellectual property portfolio development and client counseling, with a particular emphasis on patent prosecution, litigation, competitor portfolio analysis, commercial transactions and licensing. He is a registered patent attorney and has written and prosecuted hundreds of utility and design patents covering a variety of mechanical, electrical and software technologies. He has negotiated and drafted a wide range of agreements relating to the development and use of intellectual property, including licensing, customer agreements, master service agreements, software as a service (SaaS), employment law, domain names, cybersecurity, data privacy and complex contract and litigation settlement negotiations. Auito also advises clients on trademark and copyright matters. He has practiced before US courts at the trial and appellate levels, including the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and before the US International Trade Commission and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Bumrae Cho (Intellectual Property and Technology, Washington, DC) focuses on patent litigation, patent prosecution and client counseling, with an emphasis on technology. He has significant experience preparing and prosecuting worldwide patent applications in the chemical, biotech and telecommunication areas. Before law school, Cho worked at a Korean law firm, where he advised several global chemical and pharmaceutical companies in Europe, the United States, Japan, China and Taiwan; drafted patent applications for diverse fields of technology; and was involved in several pharmaceutical patent litigations in the Korean Supreme Court.

Christopher W.K. Fetzer (Public Policy, Washington, DC) leads Dentons’ Defense and Security Policy team. A native Washingtonian, he concentrates on issues at the intersection of business, law, policy and politics with a focus on advocacy and strategy in the defense, trade, security, energy and foreign affairs arenas. Leveraging nearly two decades of public and private sector policy experience, Fetzer represents foreign and domestic clients, including government contractors, across multiple industry sectors, including aerospace and defense, manufacturing, agriculture, energy and technology. He routinely advises, and advocates on behalf of, multinational firms and foreign governments in national security policy; US trade and sanctions policy; and foreign policy matters involving Congress, the Department of Defense, Department of State, Department of Treasury, coalitions, nongovernmental organizations and private sector stakeholders.

Andrew Shaw (Public Policy, Washington, DC) focuses primarily on energy, environmental and US-Canada cross-border issues. Using his knowledge and experience of Congress and the Executive Branch, Shaw provides clients with guidance on federal legislative and regulatory issues, including climate change mitigation and adaptation, renewables, nuclear power, natural gas, trade, transportation and tax. In addition, he develops and implements government affairs strategies for domestic and international clients in engaging with Congress, the Executive Branch, industry associations and nongovernmental organizations.

Bruce B. Vance (Intellectual Property and Technology, Washington, DC) prosecutes US and foreign patent applications in a broad range of technical fields, including telecommunication systems and standards, DTV, home appliance devices, construction works, power tools, packet-switched networks, electronic test equipment, computer software applications, computer-based control systems, microprocessors, business methods, photolithography, semiconductor fabrication and devices, electronic design automation, biometric devices, wind power, engines and automotive systems, electrical power and analog electronics. He is also involved with patent reissues, reexaminations and appeals, and has experience assisting with patent litigation.

Rajesh C. Noronha (Intellectual Property and Technology, Washington, DC) focuses on patent and trademark litigation and on counseling clients in numerous areas of science and technology, including the chemical, electronic, mechanical, pharmaceutical and computer fields. He is also experienced in intellectual property licensing, electronic discovery and portfolio development and management.

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