by John B. Sganga, Jr.

This year’s winner of the prestigious Harmon Scoville award truly epitomizes the entrepreneurial spirit that enabled Orange County to grow from a small farming community to a world class business and cultural center, supported by its dedicated and sophisticated legal community. Ed Schlatter grew up in Toledo, Ohio. The safe path for him after earning his engineering degree at Georgia Tech was to work in the family steel business. That business was started by his great-grandfather, and was where many of his relatives chose to work. But Ed forged his own path. After getting his law degree at University of Michigan, he ventured west to Orange County some four decades ago to practice with what was then a small intellectual property firm, Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear. Despite having no family nearby, and no connections in Orange County, Ed decided to make a start of it for himself, in a place with tremendous potential for growth.

Ed’s technical skills and meticulous attention to detail made him a natural at developing patent portfolios for technology companies in the area. His knowledge of the law, and facility for understanding the nuances of his client’s Research and Development efforts, coupled well with his genuine interest in seeing his clients’ businesses grow and thrive. Evidence of this unique combination of skill sets is demonstrated by the entrepreneurs that Ed has represented for years, and who continued to seek Ed’s counsel with each new venture they pursued. One key attribute of Ed’s counsel was carefully guiding when to aggressively pursue IP litigation against copycats, and when to use a softer touch. As a result, the patent portfolios that Ed helped build would repeatedly withstand attacks when tested in litigation, enabling his clients to consolidate their positions as technology leaders in their industries.

Not only was Ed smitten enough with Orange County to make the “Gold Coast” his adopted home, he helped persuade dozens of other lawyers to make the same career choice that he did, and follow him westward to stake their claims. While serving as the chair of Knobbe Martens’ recruiting committee, Ed travelled nationwide to find the best and the brightest new lawyers to become associates at the firm. This was no small task, as the firm literally grew ten-fold in lawyer head count from the time he first began practicing there. Again, Ed’s genuine love of the firm, where he has practiced continually now for forty years, and of living in Orange County, made him a natural at convincing dozens of new recruits to join him.

“It was a good thing Ed liked to go out to eat,” says Joe Re, Ed’s law partner for thirty-five years. When Joe and Ed became partners, they served on the firm’s seven-lawyer recruiting committee that Ed chaired. Ed insisted that the firm interview on campus and that each associate candidate come to dinner at a local restaurant in or near Laguna Beach, where Ed has lived for decades. Joe and Ed would often take their wives with them and they would give the hard sell to graduating law students from around the country to come to Newport Beach. The tactic worked as the firm grew by leaps and bounds over the next decade. “I enjoyed every minute I spent with Ed trying to see how we could sell Knobbe to people who had never heard of the firm. It was challenging but got easier over time. Ed made it fun,” said Joe.

Living and practicing in Orange County was particularly easy for Ed as he has made Laguna Beach his home for virtually the whole time he has lived in the county. After marrying a law school classmate, Ed raised two children there. Both are graduates of Laguna Beach High School and are now successful professionals (including one who chose to be a lawyer, as well!). His love of the beach, fine food, and the cultural offerings of the city have made it a natural place for him. Ed also has given back to the community he loves, having served on the board of directors of SchoolPower, the fundraising group that supports the Laguna Beach public schools.

Professionally, Ed’s ongoing commitment to the OC Bar Association was no doubt influenced by one of his earliest mentors, Jim Bear. Jim was a past OCBA president and prodded new lawyers at Knobbe Martens to become active in the local bar. The Conference of Delegates was one of Jim’s favorite groups where OC Bar members could represent the county at the State Bar level. Participating as a delegate from the OC Bar there soon became Ed’s favorite as well. When the conference’s advocacy for new legislation on behalf of the State Bar of California came under political attack, Ed did not waver. Reflective of his tenacity, he stuck with the newly formed (and under-funded) Conference of California Bar Associations, which was suddenly forced to become independent from the State Bar. Ed rose to sit on the board and to chair the new group. During his leadership tenure, Ed helped the transition to a new lobbyist and a new strategy for getting legislation passed. Not only was this approach a money saver, but the number of resolutions sponsored by the group that matured into enacted legislation grew by nearly an order of magnitude. And ever the recruiter, Ed successfully expanded the number of delegates from bar associations that attended the conference, thus guiding a group with a very uncertain future to a healthy and vibrant state.

Locally, Ed has found time to be a consistent presence in the leadership of the OCBA and its affiliates. For example, he has served on the OCBA Board of Directors, its Appointments Committee, and as Co-Chair of the Administration of Justice Committee. The Orange County Bar Foundation has benefitted from Ed’s guidance in his roles on the Board of Directors and on the Executive Committee.

Meanwhile, Ed’s acumen in the intellectual property field have been recognized not only by his partners and loyal clients, but by numerous independent groups. Some of his awards have included being recognized by The Legal 500 for Patent Prosecution, by American Lawyer Media as a Top Rated Lawyer in Intellectual Property Law, by OC Metro magazine who repeatedly named him one of “O.C.’s Top Lawyers,” and by his listing among Southern California’s Super Lawyers.

As Ed spends less time practicing law, he has had no trouble finding challenging pursuits in other areas. When he is not brushing up on his German for visits to his Swiss relatives, or brushing up on his Italian for ski trips in the Alps, Ed can often be found travelling to other parts of the globe, golfing, enjoying blues music, or taking in the sunset views from his balcony.

Personally, I am extremely gratified to see Ed win this well-deserved award. I have been fortunate to call Ed my partner and friend for many years, and I think all of us in the Orange County legal community have been fortunate to have him as a colleague and tireless supporter of the Orange County Bar Association. Congratulations, Ed, and I look forward to enjoying a few of your hearty laughs as you celebrate this great honor!

John B. Sganga, Jr., is a partner at Knobbe Martens, and has been Ed’s law partner since the 1980s.