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Shane Hunter brings a business-first perspective to intellectual property strategy, drawing from his own background as both an entrepreneur and legal advisor. Based in Merchant &amp; Gould’s Boston office, Shane has spent more than two decades helping companies protect and enforce their innovations. His counsel is shaped by firsthand experience in leadership roles, including as general counsel and board member of a tech startup and co-owner of a boutique IP firm for over a decade.

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With a foundation in electrical engineering and radar antenna design from his time at Hughes Aircraft, Shane combines technical fluency with legal precision to build strong patent portfolios. He has deep experience in patent prosecution across a broad range of technologies, including telecommunications, medical devices, software, bioinformatics, radar, power systems, and semiconductors. Shane’s ability to translate complex technologies into clear IP strategies has helped clients secure patents in challenging technical fields and overcome prosecution hurdles at the USPTO.

Clients turn to Shane for strategic advice that aligns patent protection with broader business objectives. He regularly advises on portfolio development, enforcement, and defense, often stepping in to resolve matters where previous legal approaches fell short. Known for delivering practical, effective solutions, Shane works closely with inventors and in-house counsel to advance applications, mitigate risk, and protect core assets.

University of California at Los Angeles, J.D.

University of California at Los Angeles, M.S. Electrical Engineering, (emphasis in electromagnetics)

Kettering University (formerly GMI Engineering and Management Institute), B.S. Electrical Engineering, cum laude

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

Dorothy Real

Partner

Shane H. Hunter

Selected for inclusion in Massachusetts Super Lawyers, 2023–2024 
Selected for inclusion in Massachusetts Rising Stars, 2005-2006

Shane H. Hunter

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