Lawrence R. Jarvis
Principal – Fish & Richardson

Description of field of expertise

Lawrence Jarvis focuses his practice on patent litigation in U.S. District Courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission in the areas of electrical engineering and computer science. His technical prowess is vast, encompassing set-top box technologies, video coding and processing, cellular and wireless technologies, networking and network management technologies, consumer electronics, information security technologies, database and cloud computing technologies, payment and transaction processing, semiconductor fabrication and layout, chip level power management, and home security systems.

His litigation experience includes managing discovery; assisting technical experts with opening and rebuttal reports; taking and defending depositions of fact and expert witnesses; drafting and arguing claim construction positions and dispositive and non-dispositive motions; managing pretrial disclosures, including preparing deposition designations, counter designations, and objections; and examining witnesses at trial.

As a registered patent attorney, Lawrence also practices before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, often assisting clients with patent prosecution, patent due diligence, and other non-litigation patent matters. 

Prior to joining Fish & Richardson, Lawrence worked for several years as a software engineer for a Fortune 100 corporation, where he gained substantial technical experience developing software for high-technology applications. 

In addition to his work as a patent attorney, Lawrence devotes significant time to pro bono work, including handling cases for Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) and the Georgia Justice Project. Lawrence also performs pro bono work with the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty to assist with its efforts to combat attempts to criminalize homelessness.

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

My advice for new attorneys interested in patent litigation would be to pursue it whole-heartedly and remain confident in yourself. I would also encourage any new attorneys to not let your technical background or lack thereof deter you from pursuing this field. I have many colleagues and friends in this industry who lack any technical background but have found success in this field. I would also advise any new attorneys to be prepared to learn on the fly as the technologies at issue in each litigation can be vastly different. At the outset of your career, I recommend that you attempt to locate a mentor or two in the field of patent litigation in addition to joining a professional organization, such as the NBA’s IP Section. Being a patent litigator is a rewarding career and it is certainly one in need of more diversity of perspectives and backgrounds.  

Final thoughts…

Lawrence was also recently named to the “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch” list for Intellectual Property law.  In addition, Lawrence is a member of the NBA’s IP section and previously served as the section’s Treasurer, Communications Chair, and other roles as a board member for the section in past years.

Harmony Gbe
Senior Associate – Hogan Lovells US LLP

Description of field of expertise

Harmony is a Senior Associate in the Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment Practice of Hogan Lovells in Los Angeles, CA. Her practice focuses on class actions, complex commercial litigation, media and entertainment employment matters, and internal investigations. Harmony’s recent experience includes representing a health insurer in a multimillion-dollar payment dispute with a hospital system, defending a television studio against allegations of discrimination, responding to a government subpoena on behalf of a Fortune 500 office supplies company, and investigating a food company for potential Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations in Thailand.

Harmony Gbe graduated from Dartmouth College in 2010 with a B.A. in Government and Sociology and a minor in French. After graduation, Harmony served as a litigation paralegal in the Pro Bono Practice of Hogan Lovells in Washington, DC. In that capacity, she assisted attorneys handling wrongful conviction cases and immigration matters, coordinated staffing for legal aid clinics and free public information sessions. She also taught monthly workshops designed to familiarize high school students with the legal system through mock trials, roundtable discussions, and interactive case studies. Harmony now serves on the firm’s recruitment and diversity committees and devotes significant time to impactful pro bono matters.

Harmony earned her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. During law school, she served as a judicial extern in the Eastern District of Virginia – known nationwide as the “Rocket Docket” – and in the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District. Harmony also interned in the Business & Legal Affairs department of a major Hollywood film studio, where she handled global licensing disputes and facilitated content distribution across international platforms. Harmony recently served as a law clerk in the Central District of California and worked closely with the U.S. District Court Chief Judge.

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

My main piece of advice for new attorneys is to take the time to learn your client’s business. In law school, we learn how to “think like a lawyer.” We spend years honing our critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills by dissecting complex legal theories in textbooks. But court decisions are not issued in a vacuum. Your clients will often turn to you for legal advice to make real-world business decisions. As a result, learning everything you can about their business concerns and understanding how to “think like a business person” can only help you become a more effective advocate.

Final thoughts…

Harmony was recognized this year as one of the Top 40 under 40 attorneys in Los Angeles by the National Black Lawyers.

Harmony was part of a pro bono team recognized by one of the most prominent non-profit legal organizations in Los Angeles for representing a vulnerable resident who had been fraudulently led to signing over the title to his home.

Jerry D. Hamilton ​​
Managing Partner – Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel, LLP​

Description of field of expertise

Jerry Hamilton is a managing shareholder of Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel, LLP (“HMB”) which is the largest black owned civil defense law firm in the country.  He has been nationally recognized as one of the Top Ten Defense Lawyers in the country by one of the largest insurance companies in the world.  He is a Board Certified Trial lawyer and also Board Certified in Admiralty & Maritime Law and also a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, an invitation-only trial honorary society composed of less than one half percent of lawyers in the United States.  He has been recognized as America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators® — this is by invitation only and is reserved to identify the nation’s most exceptional trial attorneys in high value and high stakes legal matters and was selected as Lawyer of the Year for 2022 by Best Lawyers.  Jerry was re-elected in 2023 as a Top 100 Black Lawyer in the state of Florida. This honor is awarded by The National Black Lawyers association and given in each state or region to only 100 recipients with reputations for providing excellent legal representation in their respective practice areas. Jerry has a 90%-win rate at trial. 

HMB is consistently ranked among the top ten most diverse law firms in South Florida.  It is a proud member of the NBA and Jerry sits on the Board of Directors for NAMWOLF.   For the past 25 years, Jerry has dedicated his practice to defending his clients in complex litigation matters, including business litigation and other commercial disputes, class actions, catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, product liability claims, insurance coverage and bad faith disputes, legal, medical and professional malpractice claims, maritime disputes, hospitality and transportation claims.

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

Find a good mentor in your Firm.   Invest the time to learn from them.  Insist on it.  Learn a practice area and learn it well.  Do presentations in that practice area and go to conferences in that practice area and network.  Stay involve and attend meetings such as the NBA.  Volunteer and work to rise to leadership positions in the associations.  Do these things and you will indeed succeed.

Michele L. Stocker
Shareholder – Greenberg Traurig

Description of field of expertise

Michele L. Stocker is Co-Chair of the Consumer Financial Services Litigation Practice and is a commercial litigator with a broad range of experience representing clients in the financial services industry including regional and national banks, loan servicers, consumer finance companies, mortgage bankers, credit card issuers, debt buyers and third-party debt collectors.

Concentrations

• Telephone Consumer Protection Act
• Contested mortgage foreclosures
• Fair Credit Reporting Act
• Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
• Truth in Lending Act and Regulation
• Mortgage loan origination and loan servicing issues
• Unfair and deceptive trade practices
• Consumer fraud
• Identity theft
• Predatory lending
• Force-placed insurance
• Class action defense

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

The most important career advice that I can give to new lawyers is to choose a specialty and become an expert in your field. This will make you significantly more valuable to a law firm and will make it a lot easier to generate business from clients. Master the practical legal skills such as advocacy and drafting and remember that the early years of your career are critical to learn your craft and begin developing confidence in yourself as an advocate for clients. By choosing the right practice area, you will be best positioned to enjoy job security, career satisfaction, and overall long-term success. Think through your personal goals relating to finances, family, geography, and work environment because the practice area you choose at the beginning of your career will set you on the right path to meet these goals.

Enjoliqué Aytch Lett
Shareholder – Greenberg Traurig

Description of field of expertise

Enjoliqué Aytch Lett leads bet-the-company litigation on behalf of drug and medical device manufacturers. She has worked as lead counsel in all aspects of mass tort and multi-district litigation, and has substantial experience and background defending high-exposure medical malpractice actions for physicians and hospitals. Enjoliqué has also represented high-profile clients in complex commercial litigation, including Under Armour.

Enjoliqué is passionate about service and devotes her time and efforts to professional organizations and to the community as a whole. She serves as Pro Bono Chair for the South Florida Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the DRI Products Liability Committee, and mentors students at the University of Miami and Florida International University. She also mentors a former prisoner returning to society through a partnership with the Southern District of Florida’s Court Assisted Reentry (C.A.R.E.) Program.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Enjoliqué received her J.D. cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2007, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and was a Best Brief winning member of Georgia’s Black Law Student Association Thurgood Marshall Moot Court team. Prior to law school, Enjoliqué earned her undergraduate degree, cum laude, from The American University in Washington, D.C.

Concentrations

• Litigation
• Products liability
• Pharmaceutical, medical device, and health care litigation
• Medical malpractice
• Commercial litigation

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

For the initial answer, I will define my field as pharmaceutical and medical device products liability defense. Pharmaceutical and medical device is a highly regulated industry. Thus, my advice to new attorneys is to become intimately familiar with the rules and regulations that govern your client and its products so not only is your defense more robust, you don’t mistakenly trigger any other of your client’s obligations that may be tangential to the litigation, but equally, if not more so, important. Also keep top of mind that the legal industry though broad, is relatively small, especially when you specialize in a particular area. Treat people with the respect they are afforded for simply being human and approach everyone genuinely and not transactionally.

Final thoughts…

Pro Bono work is important and meaningful – especially to your client. We are all fortunate to do the work we do and should happily assist those who are less fortunate. Please approach pro bono work with this attitude and not as a requirement imposed by your bar that must be met.

Enjoliqué has amassed a number of awards and recognitions, including:

• Listed, Legal 500 United States, 2021
• Dispute Resolution – Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action – Defense: Consumer Products (Including Tobacco), 2021
• Dispute Resolution – Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action – Defense: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, 2021
• Listed, The National Black Lawyers, “Top 40 Under 40,” 2015-2020
• Listed, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, “40 Under 40 Outstanding Lawyers of South Florida,” 2018
• Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Florida Super Lawyers, “Rising Stars,” 2019-2021
• Recognized, Daily Business Review, Professional Excellence Awards, “Young Lawyer on the Rise,” 2017
• Listed, Legacy Miami magazine, “Miami-Dade County’s 40 Under 40 Black Leaders of Today and Tomorrow,” 2014
• Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Georgia Super Lawyers, “Rising Stars,” 2011

Excylyn J. Hardin-Smith
Associate – Fish & Richardson

Description of field of expertise

Excylyn Hardin-Smith’s practice focuses primarily on patent litigation and she has experience litigating patents in the fields of biotechnology, medical devices, financial services and computer software. Her experience spans various phases of litigation and includes discovery management, motion practice, pre-trial preparation and trial.

In addition to her work for her clients, Excylyn has maintained an active pro bono practice focused on criminal justice, employment law, civil rights, voting rights and women’s rights.

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

Though it is often preferred to have a specialized technical background to be a patent litigator, my advice to new attorneys interested in patent litigation is to go for it—even if you don’t have a technical background. I have always loved science, but I don’t have a technical degree, and initially I was hesitant about my ability to tackle all of scientific and technical aspects that came with patent litigation—especially being surrounded by colleagues who had advanced technical degrees. But what I learned is that for every case, everyone has to learn the specific technology at issue and I could learn it just like everyone else does.

I offer this advice particularly to new Black attorneys—there are so few of us in patent litigation and I would love to see more Black faces in the field.

Ahmed J. Davis
Principal – Fish & Richardson

Description of field of expertise

Ahmed Davis, an intellectual property trial lawyer with 20 years’ experience, handles complex patent litigation and provides practical, forthright counsel to clients in highly technical industries such as chemistry, biotechnology, medical devices, and mechanical and electrical engineering.

Ahmed is the firm’s go-to attorney for litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, where his experience and knowledge of that court are virtually unmatched—and where he has earned respect as a skillful advocate who excels at explaining complex technologies to judges and juries. He has served as lead trial counsel in numerous other U.S. District Courts, as well as the U.S. International Trade Commission and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Ahmed also has significant experience before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, having argued more IP appeals in that court than any other African American private practitioner.

While Ahmed excels at bench trials, his true forte is jury trials. His value in the courtroom extends well beyond his eloquence and commanding presence as a litigator, as clients frequently praise him for being an effective team leader who positions each member of his trial teams for individual success. Ahmed’s real-world experiences and strong sense of empathy provide invaluable insight into the psyche of increasingly diverse juries. While his chemistry background allows him to “speak the language” of science and technology, Ahmed never loses sight of the human element in his cases.

As the national chair of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion initiative and the firm’s first Black full-equity principal, Ahmed is a vocal and influential advocate behind Fish & Richardson’s longstanding commitment to building a more diverse workforce through recruiting and developing the careers of diverse attorneys.

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

There is a long-held belief by many that in order to be an effective patent litigator, one must have a science or engineering degree.  That’s not true; some of the best patent litigators I know have degrees in the humanities.  The key is being willing to roll up one’s sleeves, to get your hands immersed in the soil of the technology, and to develop a story.  Chances are the judge or lay jury you appear before won’t know the technology either; your ability to communicate a story effectively and persuasively will be what sets you apart, and that is true no matter what the case is about.

Final thoughts…

It takes a lifetime to build an excellent reputation but you can lose it a minute.  Conduct yourself in a manner that is above reproach, with integrity and honor, befitting the title of counselor.  If you do that, you will be a trusted advisor to many.

William D. Purnell
Partner – Bowman and Brooke LLP

Description of field of expertise

Will Purnell is an experienced litigator who defends automobile, medical device and consumer products manufacturers in multiparty product liability, toxic tort and commercial litigation, including class actions. Since joining Bowman and Brooke earlier this year, Will has been busy pulling in new work and expanding the firm’s Asbestos practice.

Before joining Bowman and Brooke, Will served as assistant general counsel of litigation and claims (including warranty matters) at two global manufacturers of industrial products and HVAC and temperature management equipment for residential and commercial applications. He also served as corporate counsel for litigation at a global heavy equipment manufacturer. His work involved advising on commercial litigation, bankruptcy litigation, e-discovery, personal injury matters, records management, and product liability for these companies – including mass torts, premises liability and environmental claims and class actions – as well as extensive interaction with C-suite executive teams and insurers providing counsel on global risk management and legal spend. Will also has extensive experience conducting arbitration, mediation, and settlement negotiations in North America and abroad. He has been recognized for collaborating with companies to develop strategies focused on creating greater efficiency that result in the reduction of claims inventory, indemnity spend and defense costs.

Will is committed to advancing diversity in the legal profession and is a frequent speaker on how to support and advance the careers of women and people of color in law firms and corporate law departments. Will is going to be preparing and presenting two Diversity and Ethics focused webinars for CLE credit in 2022.

In his free time, Will enjoys mentoring youth and coaching youth football and basketball.

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

Products Liability, commercial disputes, premises liability, and toxic tort litigation can be exciting and rewarding for new attorneys. In these practice areas, you will have the opportunity make an immediate impact by defending companies in a manner that affects overall revenues and growth opportunities. There are many attributes that companies look for in young attorneys. The attorneys that have been successful are flexible, intellectually curious and work efficiently to provide solutions to complex issues. Investigations and inspections are typically viewed as fun things for young attorneys. That said, the most important aspect of litigation are the document reviews, which may not seem meaningful. Understanding the documents is essential to taking depositions, preparation of motions, case evaluations, and trials- making it key to the overall defense of a company. Thus, I encourage new attorneys to seize each opportunity because it may likely lead to fun and exciting trial work.

Final thoughts…

After spending over 15 years as in-house counsel, I entered private practice to use my platform to provide opportunities for women and people of color. I am grateful for the support of many of my in-house friends/family. Together, we have been able to provide origination to several women and diverse partners as well as majority males.

Carmen M. Bickerdt
Partner – Bowman and Brooke LLP

Description of field of expertise

Carmen Bickerdt is an experienced litigator representing clients in product liability, toxic tort, and warranty litigation. Based in Michigan, Carmen’s work has taken her all over the country defending both individual claims and coordinated mass actions, including Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, Florida, Missouri, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Iowa, and South Carolina.

Dedicating the majority of her practice to defense of the automotive industry, Carmen has extensive experience in catastrophic personal injury litigation involving company car accidents, autonomous vehicle technology, restraints as well as asbestos and warranty matters on behalf of multiple domestic, Asian and European motor vehicle manufacturers. One of her notable assignments was as regional counsel that defended a major automotive manufacturer in its widely publicized unintended acceleration litigation. In addition, Carmen defends other large corporations in a broad range of commercial, premises and subrogation litigation, including industrial equipment manufacturers, a national retailer, a hotel chain, an energy utility provider, a global appliance manufacturer, and multiple trucking companies.

Outside of the courtroom, Carmen enjoys spending time with her husband and two children as well as interior design, fashion styling and event planning.

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

Attorneys interested in product liability litigation should determine the types of product that sparks their interests. Find a law firm that defends the product or a company that manufactures it. Show enthusiasm by performing research and staying updated on the product’s latest technological advances, as well as high profile cases involving the product in the news and media. Join organizations to network with other attorneys that have similar interests and be ready to chat about hot topics on the product to display your knowledge. Most importantly, find a great mentor in the field who can provide advice and support.