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Rob Pyatt is a patent attorney in Merchant’s Boston office, where he focuses on patent portfolio development, trade secret protection, and IP strategy. Rob advises a range of clients—from inventors and startups to universities and global companies—on protecting innovations across optics, photonics, imaging, and biomedical technologies. With a background in physics and engineering, he brings both technical fluency and strategic insight to every stage of the innovation lifecycle.

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Rob has particular strength in drafting and prosecuting patents involving physics-based technologies, including laser systems, medical imaging devices, and integrated optical circuits. His experience includes advising clients who receive federal research funding regarding maintaining their IP rights through compliance with SBIR/STTR grants, the Bayh-Dole Act, and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

Prior to practicing law, Rob spent nearly a decade in industry, developing photonics automation systems and contributing to early-stage technologies at a medical device startup that later became Abbott Medical Optics. His engineering background includes FDA compliance, systems test development, and product development for femtosecond laser platforms used in eye surgery.

Rob is a member of Optica and IEEE Photonics and also currently serves as vice president of the Boston Chapter of IEEE Communications. He frequently presents on topics related to patent strategy, optics in healthcare, and government-funded innovation. He has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® and Massachusetts Rising Stars for his work in patent law.

Boston

Merchant &amp; Gould, a premier intellectual property law firm, has opened an office in Boston, expanding the firm’s depth and breadth of experience into an important technology hub. This expansion brings a team of 13 highly regarded attorneys from the Sunstein law firm, a decades-old, well-known Boston IP boutique. The group brings substantial experience in Boston’s innovation ecosystem and further strengthens Merchant’s litigation, patent prosecution, and trademark practices.



“Boston is a natural fit for Merchant, as our strengths in life sciences and advanced technology and our 125-year history of protecting innovation are well-suited to the area’s technology, research, and venture capital communities,” said Heather Kliebenstein, Merchant’s Managing Partner. “Merchant’s presence in Boston enables closer collaboration with innovators across the region, supporting them at the earliest stages of development with a large bench of attorneys having deep technical and trial capabilities, a high degree of responsiveness, and close strategic coordination.”



The Boston office will be led by Office Managing Partner Kerry Timbers, an accomplished first-chair trial lawyer whose experience includes jury trials and arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The team also includes widely respected IP leader Bruce Sunstein and first-chair trial lawyer Lisa Tittemore. “Joining Merchant strengthens our client service by improving the breadth and depth of resources available to them,” said Sunstein. “Merchant’s deep technical bench and long history as a premier intellectual property and trial firm allow us to deliver even stronger outcomes.”



“Our decision to join Merchant was driven by a shared vision of attentive service and the opportunity to provide clients broader support,” said Timbers. “The firm’s national platform, combined with our team’s strengths, particularly in high-growth sectors such as biotechnology and software, creates a powerful synergy that benefits clients at every stage of the innovation lifecycle.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



Merchant has experienced rapid growth in the last two years, adding over 50 attorneys and professionals, doubling the size of its Washington, D.C. office, and opening an office in Los Angeles. As one of the largest law firms in the nation dedicated exclusively to intellectual property, Merchant has a deep bench of attorneys, patent agents, scientists, and other professionals who handle some of the most complex IP challenges facing companies worldwide.

Merchant & Gould Opens Boston Office, Strengthening Its Depth and Breadth

Electrical & Software

Dorothy Real

Partner

Rob D. Pyatt

Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America (2021-2026)

Rob D. Pyatt

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