National law firm Kutak Rock LLP bolstered its Twin Cities intellectual property and litigation presence with the recent addition of veteran litigators Niall MacLeod and Aaron Myers to its Minneapolis office. MacLeod and Myers joined Kutak Rock after leaving Barnes & Thornburg LLP, the national law firm in which they were both partners.

"We are very excited about Niall and Aaron joining Kutak Rock,” said Steve Likes, managing partner of the firm’s Minneapolis office. “They will help expand our visibility in the Twin Cities and enhance our ability to provide excellent legal services to our local clients. They also add experience that will provide even greater depth to our national intellectual property and litigation practices.”

MacLeod has litigated complex intellectual property disputes throughout the United States, with a particular focus on matters related to medical devices, including interventional cardiology technologies, internet-based systems, combustion engines, snowmobile design, e-commerce, computer hardware and software technologies, and telecommunications systems, including telemetrics systems. He also has litigated commercial cases involving non-disclosure/confidentiality agreements, intellectual property licenses and trade secret misappropriation. MacLeod holds a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law and a B.A. in electrical engineering from the University of Arizona. He is registered to practice in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and is admitted to practice in the District of Minnesota, the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin, and before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Myers has represented clients nationwide in intellectual property lawsuits, including patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret cases. He also is experienced in other business lawsuits, including breach-of-contract, product liability, false advertising and other commercial litigation. Myers also has counseled companies on intellectual property and business matters involving a wide-range of industries. He earned a J.D. from the University of South Dakota School of Law and an undergraduate degree from South Dakota State University. He is admitted to practice in Minnesota and before the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.

MacLeod and Myers have a long history working together. They worked together at Barnes & Thornburg LLP from 2010-2015. Before that, they worked together at the law firms Myers, Boebel & MacLeod LLP and Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP.

“We are very proud to join Kutak Rock,” MacLeod said. “The firm has a long history of performing excellent legal service for its clients, and with a no-nonsense legal platform that emphasizes efficiency and value.”

Myers agreed. “Kutak Rock is a large, national law firm, but it places a premium on value and personal relationships that is reminiscent of a smaller, local law firm. It’s a unique firm, and it was an opportunity we couldn’t turn down.”

Kutak Rock’s Minneapolis office opened in 2011 with two public finance attorneys. Today there are nine attorneys practicing in the areas of energy, business litigation, products liability, intellectual property, real estate and public finance.