3 minute read The U.S. Capitol is bathed in morning light at sunrise in Washington, U.S., February 14, 2020. REUTERS/Mary F. Calvert Summary Firm shed practices last year to focus on IP and litigation (Reuters) - Irell & Manella is capitalizing on its bench of former officials from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to launch an office in Washington, D.C., the firm's third location and its first outside Southern California. It's also Irell's first new office in 30 years, and comes nearly 18 months after the firm announced it was planning to shed its transactional practices and double down on high-end commercial and intellectual property litigation.