Firm History
| Get the Flash Player to see this player. | David Wolf and George Greenfield talk about how the firm started and the Wolf Greenfield culture. |
 1927 Ezekiel (Zeke) Wolf begins his patent practice at 10 State Street, Boston, with his wife, Ray, as his secretary. Zeke was one of the first patent lawyers with a technical background to practice in Boston. 1927 - 1947 Zeke’s clients include Andrew Alford, later inducted into the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame, Reginald Fessenden (in photo), first to transmit voice across the Atlantic and inventor on over 450 U.S. patents in sophisticated radio transmission and sonar, and Radio Shack, a client from its beginnings as a single store in downtown Boston. 1948 Zeke decides to enter private practice full-time.  1952 Zeke's son, David, graduates from Harvard Law School and joins his father in September at 68 Devonshire Street, Boston, where their office consists of two rooms. David handles the chemical practice and Zeke does the electrical work. David bills $100.00 per day. 1955 George Greenfield joins the father/son team in May and works primarily on mechanical cases. He has excellent connections through his family and comes on board with several clients. In October, Zeke's health prevents him from practicing, so David and George formalize their partnership arrangement. 1958 The firm files one of the first genetic engineering related patent applications. 1960 The firm has established a diverse trademark and copyright practice, as well as a strong presence in chemical and medical technology, and has prosecuted a family of medical instrument patents, including a patent on the Littman stethoscope, still in standard use.  1961 Stanley Sacks, husband of David Wolf’s cousin, joins the firm and works primarily on chemical related cases. 1961 The U.S. Supreme Court case, Aro Mfg. Co. v. Convertible Top Co., is argued and won by David Wolf and becomes the seminal case on the doctrine of permissible repair and related issues. 1963 The firm outgrows its space at 68 Devonshire and moves to 185 Devonshire. 1970 By 1970, the firm is representing Tootsie Roll Industries as well as several national retail chains and has a strong presence in the footwear industry.  1972 The firm changes its name to Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks. All six partners eat lunch together every day. 1977 Ed Perlman, who later serves as Managing Partner, joins as the firm's first associate. 1979 The firm again outgrows its space and moves down the street to 201 Devonshire. 1985 The firm has 15 lawyers. 1987 The firm moves to 1½ floors of the Federal Reserve Building and makes the strategic decision to grow the firm. The first attorney dedicated entirely to IP litigation is hired. 1988 The firm establishes the first technology specialist program in New England and hires its first "tech spec" – James Morris, now a shareholder. 1989 The firm has 21 lawyers and one tech spec. The firm hires its first executive director and other non-lawyer administrative staff.  1995 David Wolf and George Greenfield celebrate 40 years in practice together. 1995 The firm obtains the largest reported jury verdict in a Massachusetts trade secret case (over $5 million) in Foster-Miller v. Babcock & Wilcox Canada, a decision which becomes the leading authority in the First Circuit on trade secrets. 1996 Name partner, Stan Sacks, becomes Of Counsel. 1998 The firm serves as co-counsel and primary architect of the landmark Federal Circuit case, State Street Bank & Trust Company v. Signature Financial Group, Inc., which establishes the patentability of software and opens the door to business method patents. 2000 The firm formalizes its structure into specialized practice groups dedicated to specific areas of IP practice: Biotech, Chemical, Electrical & Computer Technologies, Litigation, Mechanical, and Trademark. 2002 The firm mourns the passing of its friend and colleague, Stan Sacks, at the age of 68.  2002 The firm celebrates its 75th birthday. 2004 The firm moves upstairs into newly-designed space on four floors of the Federal Reserve Building. 2006 The Pharmaceutical Practice Group is added as a core group.  2007 The firm celebrates its 80th birthday as our youngest tech spec and oldest attorney listen to a speech by our Managing Partner. 2008 George Greenfield steps into Senior Counsel status and is honored with a party, special tribute book, and his own magazine cover! 2008 The firm expands into a fifth floor in the Federal Reserve Building in late 2008. | 1927 1927 1927 1946 1948 1951 1952 1953 1955 1958 1959 1960 1960 1961 1961 1962 1963 1965 1970 1972 1974 1977 1977 1979 1984 1985 1987 1988 1988 1989 1994 1995 1995 1995 1996 1996 1998 2000 2000 2001 2002 2002 2003 2004 2004 2006 2007 2008 2008 2012 2012 |  1927 Kool-aid® is invented by Edwin Perkins who experimented with home-made concoctions in his mother's kitchen. The forerunner to Kool-Aid was Fruit Smack, sold via mail order in the 1920s and re-named Kool-Aid in 1927. 1946 The microwave is born when, during a radar-related research project, Percy Spencer notices something unusual – the candy bar in his pocket had melted. He tried again with some popcorn kernels near the tube and watched as they popped all over his lab. 1951 Liquid Paper® is invented by Bette Nesmith Graham. While working as a secretary, she develops a type of white tempera paint to cover up her mistakes. After IBM declines to buy her idea, she sells it from her house for 17 years, then sells it to Gillette for $47.5M. 1953 In trying to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion – done by displacing water – Norm Larsen perfects the formula for WD-40® (water displacement 40th attempt). One interesting use – a bus driver in Asia used it to remove a python snake coiled around the bus' undercarriage. 1959 Jack Kilby and Texas Instruments receive a patent for miniaturized electronic circuits while Robert Noyce and the Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation receive a patent for a silicon based integrated circuit. After some legal battles, the two companies wisely decide to cross license their technologies, and the first integrated circuits became commercially available in 1961. Almost all modern products use chip technology. 1960 Patent No. 2,953,321 is issued for a "Vertical Take-off Flying Platform" invented by Robertson, Stuart and Wagner. 1962 MIT computer programmer, Steve Russell, leads a team to create the first game intended for computer use – Spacewar – written on an early DEC (Digital Equipment Corp.) interactive mini computer. 1965 Pillsbury debuts a loveable 14-ounce, 8 3/4-inch character in a Crescent Roll commercial. His formal name is Poppin' Fresh, he originates from Minneapolis, MN, and 20 years ago he had a wife and two pets. 1974 After using tree-marking paint guns developed for the forest industry for their game of "Capture the Flag", 12 friends decide to buy into the manufacturer and start selling the guns for use in the new recreational sport of . . . Paintball. 1977 Chia Pet® is registered as a trademark belonging to Joseph Enterprises, which never patents the invention. 1984 The first of four Revenge of the Nerds movies debuts. 1988 The first water blaster to incorporate air pressure into its design – the "Power Drencher" – is invented by Aerospace Engineer Lonnie Johnson who later renamed it Super Soaker ®. 1994 At the age of 10, Kathryn Gregory, of Bedford, MA, invents and trademarks Wristies® – protective winter gear worn under coats and gloves that block snow, wind, and cold from entering unprotected gaps. 1995 JavaScript®, an object oriented web scripting language, is created by Netscape programmer Brendan Eich.  1996 Dolly the Sheep (named for Dolly Parton) is born after being cloned from a cell in a mammary gland. 2000 Dean Kamen invents the Segway Personal Transporter® – the first self-balancing, electric-powered transportation machine. 2001 The first draft of the human genome is completed.  2003 The "ICY RIDER" is invented by Dan Hanebrink, working with Doug Stoup, the first American to ski from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole. The ice bike has no plastic parts, and the superfat, low-pressure tires provide traction in situations that would make a mountain bike weep. 2004 Robert Langer invents SonoPrep®, a device that delivers medication by sound waves rather than injection. The ultrasound temporarily rearranges lipids in the skin, opening channels that let fluids be delivered or extracted. After 24+/- hours, the skin returns to normal. 2012 The firm has grown to more than 80 legal professionals. 2012 David Wolf steps into the Founder and Senior Counsel status! |
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