Stanford Law School professor and prominent intellectual property lawyer Mark Lemley will join law firm Lex Lumina on Jan. 1, the firm said, becoming the sixth attorney there.

The law firm that Lemley co-founded, Durie Tangri, is in the process of being absorbed by 1,000-lawyer Morrison & Foerster.

Lemley confirmed his move to Lex Lumina on Friday. “MoFo is a great firm, but I’m concerned about the number of conflicts and preserving my academic freedom,” he said. “Lex Lumina will give me that freedom.”

He added that he is “very excited about the opportunity to work with friends and colleagues I’ve known for decades and to be able to focus on impact IP litigation that can improve the law.”