Law firm plans to down-size

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Fish & Richardson PC, a law firm with offices in Boston that specializes in intellectual property, said it will discontinue its corporate group as a separate practice entity, a move that will reduce its head count by an unspecified number of people.

In an e-mailed statement, the firm said: "Fish & Richardson has decided to discontinue our corporate group as a separate practice group entity in the firm, effective at the end of the year. As a result, a number of our corporate colleagues will leave the firm by the end of 2009. We have asked a small number of corporate attorneys based in the Northeast with practices that leverage our IP expertise and strength to stay with the firm."

A spokeswoman for the firm said Fish & Richardson would have no comment beyond its statement.

According to the firm's website, Fish & Richardson has more than 450 attorneys and technology specialists in 11 offices in the United States, and an office in Germany.