Barnes & Thornburg has added Craig D. Leavell to the firm’s venerated Intellectual Property Department. He joins as a partner in the Chicago office. Leavell joins the firm from the Chicago office of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP.
In his practice, Craig counsels clients on an array of IP and technology matters, including utility and design patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, unfair trade practices, and contract disputes, with a focus on patent infringement and trade secrets litigation. On the technology front, his IP work encompasses diesel engines and fuel systems, vehicle navigation and infotainment systems, telematics systems, data security, medical devices and methods of treatment, control systems and algorithms, and more.
“Craig’s impressive range of experience compliments the versatility of our IP practice,” said Julia Gard, chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Department. “His longtime passion for innovation lends him an insider’s understanding of what’s most important to those seeking to develop and protect their technology – especially in today’s increasingly competitive landscape.”
Craig’s practice includes virtually all aspects of IP litigation, including jury trials, bench trials, preliminary injunction hearings before district courts around the country, as well as appeals before multiple federal courts of appeals. He also has significant experience with inter partes review and post grant review trials before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and investigations before the International Trade Commission.
“Put a new technology in front of Craig and it won’t be long before he grasps its particulars, no matter how complex it may be,” says Michael Carrillo, Chicago office managing partner. “This know-how, combined with his 20-plus years of IP experience, will be invaluable to our clients. We’ve had our eye on Craig, who is at the top of his field, for some time and are excited to make him our newest team member.”
Craig earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law. Outside of his practice, Craig is deeply involved in pro bono work and serves as a board member for Lawyers for the Creative Arts.
