HG Announces 2024 Partner and Counsel Promotions

Haley Guiliano is pleased to announce the elevation of Andrew Hilton to Partner, Arthur Laycock to Counsel, and Kevin Rieffel to Counsel. These promotions recognize their legal and technical acumen, successful practices, and exemplification of the team-forward, business-driven HG culture. 

Peter Hale, head Partner of HG’s London Office commented, “I am delighted that Andy has been made a Partner. As well as being a first-rate patent person, his dynamism and strategic thinking represents the future of our flourishing transatlantic practice. I am personally thrilled to be working with him as Partners in the London office.”

Regarding Mr. Laycock, Mr. Hale continued, “Arthur has shown he has the skills and judgement to run complex matters both smoothly and efficiently. It is entirely logical that he has been promoted to Counsel. I look forward to working with him on the internal and external development of the firm.”

High praise for Kevin Rieffel came from HG Partner Gregory Lundell: “Over the last five years with the firm, Kevin has made contributions across our practice areas. He is a skilled prosecutor, understands how to get IP deals done, and brings strategic insight to due diligence activities across technologies. We’re excited for a continued bright future with Kevin.”

“These promotions are not only a testament to the legal and technical expertise we have at HG,” says co-founding Partner James F. Haley, Jr., “they also reaffirm our dedication to acknowledging excellence and our emphasis on mentoring each of our lawyers and patent agents to play a pivotal role in our collaborative practice. Congratulations to Andrew, Arthur, and Kevin on their thoroughly well-deserved recognitions.”

About Andy Hilton: Andy Hilton brings a wide breadth of understanding to his practice at HG. A former academic and engineer in industry, his experience as both in-house and private practice intellectual property counsel allows him to understand clients’ commercial needs. He develops strategies that excel in a value-driven environment to deliver results that truly add to the bottom line of a business. Based in London, U.K., Andy’s approach is to lead his team to provide bespoke global prosecution strategies, accessing directly European and U.S. patent offices through HG’s integrated transatlantic locations.

About Arthur M. Laycock:  Arthur Laycock’s practice is set apart by his exceptional commercial insight, drawing a diverse clientele to his practice, including esteemed U.S. technology giants managing complex IP portfolios and burgeoning startups embarking on their inaugural patent applications. A European Patent Attorney, Arthur began his career in the energy industry, working in nuclear power generation and energy risk management. From there, he joined an intellectual property law firm, where he began his legal training. Arthur specializes in drafting and prosecuting patent applications, due diligence, and infringement analysis for clients in various fields, including refrigeration, medical devices, sportswear, consumer products and computer-implemented inventions.

About Kevin A. Rieffel:  With a unique outlook from IP litigation, prosecution, and transactions, Kevin’s clients trust him to identify, analyze, and create high-value patents. He has successfully obtained, enforced, and licensed patents for clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies in various technologies. At HG, Kevin leads teams responsible for developing and implementing licensing strategies, drafting and prosecuting patent applications, and identifying and acquiring patent portfolios. He leverages his in-house and private practice experience to strategically align IP portfolios with business goals and market opportunities. In prior roles, Kevin led teams in reverse engineering, patent portfolio mining, and IPR proceedings. In addition to patents, Kevin advises clients on trademark, copyright, trade secrets and other intellectual property protection. A former physics teacher and swim coach, Kevin brings his enthusiasm for knowledge to his work with inventors and clients of all sizes and regularly contributes patent and technology content for well-recognized publications and blogs.