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.

Tiffany Pressley
Partner – Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Description of field of expertise

Tiffany helps mitigate potential supply chain issues before they arise by performing comprehensive assessments of risks and opportunities, crafting and negotiating effective agreements, and advising on complex laws and regulations. Tiffany advises on all of the contracts required throughout the supply chain process — from the acquisition of raw materials to the manufacturing of goods; to warehousing, distribution, and transportation of goods; to the sale of the final product to a distributor, reseller, retailer, or end user. Leveraging nearly 15 years of experience, Tiffany is able to quickly learn the intricacies of her clients’ businesses and provide targeted advice from beginning to end. Respected for the way she builds relationships and dives in – getting to know who they are, what they do and how they do it – is critical in Tiffany’s focused supply chain practice. 

Tiffany’s goal is to empower and protect her clients by helping them enhance their strengths and find ways to improve on their supply chain weaknesses

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

Get involved in state bar association practice groups. Energy and utility law tends to be a super specialized small sandbox, so getting to know your peers will always be a good thing. Learn skills that are not necessarily typically associated with the legal world. In order to best serve my clients I not only have to understand the state and federal issues surrounding energy and utilities, but I also need to have an understanding of things such as accounting, environmental standards, and taxes. Having a general understanding of at least the lingo involved helps you be a valuable and trusted part of the team. Also, don’t be afraid to learn how to use Excel!

Final thoughts…

Be your authentic self. Your unique perspective and experience is one of your most valuable assets. Also, be kind, you can be assertive and zealously advocate for your client while also being kind and respectful to those on your team and your opponents. Be a leader in this space!

Darrick Hooker
Partner – Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Description of field of expertise

Darrick Hooker is a counselor and IP litigator with over 22 years of substantial experience representing Fortune 100, 500 and smaller companies in complex intellectual property litigation and appeals. He has specialized knowledge of handling IP infringement matters, both jury and non-jury, before federal district courts and also participated in appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  His practice also includes counseling clients regarding the protection of patent, trade secret, copyright and trademark rights, including enforcement, risk assessment, licensing, and “freedom to operate” analyses of products, methods, and packaging. He has extensive experience working in the areas of consumer goods, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, health care, chemical, computer software, industrial, renewable energy, utility, mechanical engineering, and automotive and transportation industries.  He has a reputation for developing an in-depth understanding of client’s business and technology to successfully identify and manage intellectual property assets.

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

Develop Your Skills

• Want to be an IP litigator? Develop your analytical and writing skills 
• A patent prosecutor? Seek training from a highly skilled patent application drafter
• An IP attorney? Seek out opportunities in all areas of IP, including patent, trademark, trade secrets and copyright. 

Never turn down an opportunity to work in non-IP areas 

• Taking on a task outside of your comfort zone demonstrates your willingness to try something new.

Network throughout your career

• Attend firm events and identify attorneys whose expertise and practice align with your career interests 
• Join bar associations and attend external conferences to build relationships with other attorneys and potential clients.

Publish articles

• Partner with a senior attorney to draft articles about hot IP topics to demonstrate your knowledge.

General Advice 

• Do not be afraid to fail, because it will teach valuable lessons.
• Be reliable, trustworthy, and highly reputable
• Be involved in your community.

Lauren Aguilar
Associate – Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Description of field of expertise

Lauren is a trusted adviser to clients on state and federal regulatory issues and disputes involving electric, natural gas, water, alternative energy, and wastewater utilities, and she works closely with the implementing agencies. She routinely drafts pleadings and related testimony, prepares witnesses, and has helped execute virtually all aspects of trial and settlement. 

Having testified before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) on behalf of consumers, Lauren has a deep understanding of how the process works and can guide her clients and other witnesses through it. She also assists in rate investigations, cases and periodic adjustment proceedings, and other environmental compliance, policy, regulation and deregulation matters before the IURC. 

Lauren is passionate about connecting with her clients, working to exceed their expectations, and assessing her clients’ needs to allow her to craft effective solutions for them. She is also committed to embracing new technology, efficiency techniques, and continuing education. 

Lauren joins Barnes & Thornburg after spending four years as a utility analyst with the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, where she served on case teams and testified in rate cases. The four years prior to that, she was a senior environmental manager with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, where she coordinated, drafted and published land, water, and air environmental rules, including preparing public notices and fiscal impact documents. She also provided policy recommendations to facilitate rules that met various stakeholder interests.

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

Get involved in state bar association practice groups. Energy and utility law tends to be a super specialized small sandbox, so getting to know your peers will always be a good thing. Learn skills that are not necessarily typically associated with the legal world. In order to best serve my clients I not only have to understand the state and federal issues surrounding energy and utilities, but I also need to have an understanding of things such as accounting, environmental standards, and taxes. Having a general understanding of at least the lingo involved helps you be a valuable and trusted part of the team. Also, don’t be afraid to learn how to use Excel!

Final thoughts…

Be your authentic self. Your unique perspective and experience is one of your most valuable assets. Also, be kind, you can be assertive and zealously advocate for your client while also being kind and respectful to those on your team and your opponents. Be a leader in this space!

Thomas Hanson
Partner – Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Description of field of expertise

Tom Hanson is a corporate and commercial litigation partner in the Wilmington, Delaware office. With more than two decades of advocacy and trial experience, Tom represents large and mid-sized companies in the resolution of complex business disputes. Tom pursues and defends claims involving breaches of fiduciary duty, corporate governance, breach of contract, limited liability company agreements, trade secret protection and restrictive covenants. 

Tom frequently appears before the Delaware Court of Chancery, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, and the Complex Commercial Litigation Division of the Delaware Superior Court. He has served as lead trial counsel in a number of sophisticated commercial litigation cases and recently secured a defense jury verdict in a breach of contract action involving a claim for $15 million in damages.  

In addition, Tom is skilled in bringing and defending statutory corporate actions, including disputes regarding the appropriate composition of corporate boards and requests for books and records and nonpublic company information from corporations and limited liability companies. In a recent action, Tom obtained a ruling that his client was entitled to all of the requested books and records, plus attorneys’ fees.  

Dedicated to serving as a true legal strategist, fact-finder and effective counselor, Tom seeks to prove time and again that he is able to formulate the right argument that can make a difference in both resolving the dispute at hand and conserving his client’s time and resources. Tom understands the value of a favorable settlement, especially when swift resolution is imperative to his client’s objectives. Particularly experienced with the discovery phase, Tom is valued for his litigation prowess, deep understanding of corporate and commercial law, intellectual agility, and willingness to take difficult cases to trial.

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

My main advice to new attorneys is to have confidence in your abilities and to persevere in the face of adversity. Practicing at a law firm is challenging and demanding, particularly when joining straight from law school. It is a fast-paced environment that requires a variety of different skills and can be difficult to navigate without a mentor who is invested in your success. It takes confidence in the face of adversity,  and the ability to bounce back and learn from mistakes, to succeed. Although it may not seem like it, after gaining two to three years of experience, you will be in a position to thrive. The key is not to give up or think you cannot make it. You studied hard and sacrificed to reach this point in your career and need to draw from your inner strength to overcome the obstacles to your success.

Final thoughts…

I find it extremely important to network and make connections with lawyers both in the city where I practice and across the country. Advancing from an accomplished practitioner to a successful partner requires a book of business. Networking not only creates lifelong friends, but it also helps to develop your client base.

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.

Traci Bransford
Equity Partner – Stinson LLP

Description of field of expertise

Traci is the co-chair of the Entertainment and Media Law Group at Stinson and serves as general counsel, entertainment, media and sports attorney to her clients. Traci also serves as outside general counsel in various industries including, healthcare, retail, and education clients. She provides legal counsel to leading communications and media clients by utilizing her multijurisdictional experience to serve the legal and business interests of recognized names in the music, television, film and sports industries—including recording artists, independent record companies, music publishers, actors, authors, songwriters, producers, managers and production companies.

Traci serves as general counsel to collegiate, professional and retired athletes in their individual business and philanthropic pursuits. Traci also works with collegiate athletes to assist with understanding the laws surrounding the new name, image and likeness (NIL) legislation. She combines her deep understanding of client needs with a strong commitment to the tenets of diversity, equity and inclusion, offering comprehensive solutions to key legal challenges to benefit the firm and its clients. 

Traci received her J.D from New York University School of Law and earned her undergraduate degree from Spelman College. Traci is an active member of several charitable and professional organizations and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.  

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field? (150-word count) 

Connect with seasoned attorneys who have been practicing in the industry and ask them about their journey into this field of law.  Attend legal conferences specific to sports and entertainment and be willing to volunteer your time to be in the room to network and soak up the knowledge.  Ask a lawyer to be a mentor and request a shadowing opportunity so that you can see first-hand how they spend their day. Be patient and play the long game on entertainment and sports related law as it appears to be a popular field for young lawyers but perfection of your craft is most important.  Don’t get caught up or impressed with the celebrity aspect of sports and entertainment law so that you lose focus on your job as their legal counsel. Always be the consummate professional and that reputation will go a long way in this field.