Karen Ballack > Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP > Redwood Shores, United States > Lawyer Profile

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
201 REDWOOD SHORES PARKWAY
REDWOOD SHORES, CA 94065
CALIFORNIA
United States
Karen Ballack photo

Position

Partner

Career

Karen Ballack is an intellectual property transactional attorney with emphasis on representing technology companies, particularly in the computer (hardware and software), Internet, semiconductor, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Karen is also a member of Weil’s Privacy & Cybersecurity group and is based in the Silicon Valley office. Karen has extensive experience in a wide variety of complex technology and intellectual property alliances and transactions. Representative matters include: licensing arrangements; research and development collaborations; joint ventures; strategic alliances and corporate partnering transactions; intellectual property acquisitions and divestitures; manufacture and supply arrangements; distribution and reseller arrangements; co‑marketing alliances; consulting and professional services agreements; and other arrangements involving the commercial exploitation of technology and intellectual property. Karen’s practice also includes providing intellectual property assistance in connection with private equity, M&A and other corporate transactions. Karen is frequently engaged as a guest speaker on topics relating to technology and intellectual property transactions.

Education

San Diego State University (B.S., summa cum laude, 1981); University of San Francisco (J.D., 1986).

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Intellectual property > Patents: licensing

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP assists a large roster of blue-chip clients with technology and IP transactional matters, including patent acquisitions and divestitures, license arrangements, and technology and IP joint ventures. The department is jointly led by Charan Sandhu and Jeffrey Osterman from the firm’s New York office. While Sandhu has vast experience in complex technology and IP transactions as well as licensing agreements, Osterman’s practice focuses on technology outsourcing and integration as well as on patent and content licensing. Other notable members of the team are Karen Ballack in Silicon Valley, who advises on the development, commercialization and other exploitation of technology and IP, and New York’s Dennis Adams, whose practice spans across the technology and life science industries. Also in New York, Olivia Greer focuses on assisting clients with privacy and data security issues. Michael Epstein retired from the partnership in late 2022.

United States > Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions

Acting for domestic and international clients alike, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP remains a dominant force in the tech transactions space and is noted in the market for its ability to handle the tech, IP, and data privacy elements of high-value M&A deals. The leadership trio comprises Jeffrey Osterman and Charan Sandhu from the New York office as well as Karen Ballack, who is based in Silicon Valley. Osterman is a key contact for technically complex matters relating to pure patent licensing and tech integration, while Sandhu is a first-choice contact for advising on transactions involving the intersect of IP and tech, and Ballack frequently advises private equity investors from the tech field on the IP aspects of corporate deals. Also in the New York office, Dennis Adams is a key contact for advice on software licensing matters, while Olivia Greer has demonstrable experience in privacy and data security concerns, in addition to assisting clients with generative AI tools.