Michael Best has welcomed Peter Prommer to its Intellectual Property practice as a Partner in the firm’s growing Chicago office. Prommer joins Michael Best from Nixon Peabody LLP, where he first joined as an associate and was subsequently elevated to partner in 2015.

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Prommer joins the firm with nearly 20 years of experience advising clients on their intellectual property portfolios and counseling on enforcement, licensing, patent, trademark, and other IP matters. Over his tenured career, he has advised businesses across a number of sectors, from emerging companies to global corporations, including clients across the US, Europe and Asia on both IP and non-IP issues.

“Peter’s past work and impressive background position him well to represent our clients, and our platform fits perfectly with his desire to grow his practice,” said Richard Kaiser, Chair of Intellectual Property Practice Group. “He’s a clear example of the strong talent our firm has brought in over the past few years and will be an excellent addition to the IP Practice Group.”

At Nixon Peabody, he counseled clients on global patent strategies, enforcement issues, patent opinion matters, building and protecting global trademark portfolios, and copyright matters. Prior to joining Nixon Peabody, Prommer was as an associate with a leading full-service intellectual property law firm, where his practice focused primarily on patent litigation matters.

Within his broad IP focus, Prommer has worked alongside clients in a variety of technologies, including wearable electronics, computer hardware, digital technologies, battery systems, medical devices, optical systems, composite materials, infrastructure systems, and robotics. His non-IP experience includes general commercial disputes, data privacy issues, and labor & employment matters. Prior to pursuing his legal career, Prommer practiced as a licensed professional engineer on high-stakes engineering projects for two international engineering consulting firms.

“Having worked in Chicago for his entire legal career, Peter has great ties to the city and a strong network behind him,” said Kerryann Haase Minton, Managing Partner of the Chicago office. “His engineering background gives him an edge, and he’ll make a wonderful addition to our office, which supports this dynamic city’s distinctive demographic profile.”

Prommer received his undergraduate engineering degree with honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and furthered his engineering studies at Northwestern University where he received his Master of Science. He subsequently received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law.

In addition, Prommer is strongly established in the technology and innovation scene in Chicago, including as an officer of the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago. He further serves with several distinguished colleagues based in North America and Germany as a member of the Transatlantic Advisory Council of Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany.