Kelley Drye & Warren LLP is pleased to announce that Paul R. Garcia has joined the firm as a partner in the intellectual property practice group, working in the Chicago office.  Mr. Garcia will also practice from the firm’s Stamford office once his application to that state’s bar is approved.

Mr. Garcia comes from the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he was a partner for the past decade.  Mr. Garcia is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney with substantial experience as lead counsel in trials and appeals in both jury and bench trials.

Mr. Garcia is one of the country’s leading intellectual property trial and appellate lawyers in the area of trademark, trade dress, false advertising, and trade secret litigation.  Mr. Garcia has had tremendous success in both seeking and defending against emergency motions for temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions on behalf of major companies in a wide variety of industries.

“Paul has a unique combination of experience and expertise as both a former federal prosecutor and an attorney well-versed in complex, bet-the-company civil litigation.  His first-chair trial and appellate experience is a rare commodity in this day and age, and will invaluably serve the firm’s diverse clients throughout many industry sectors across the country,” said Jim Kirk, the firm’s Managing Partner.

In 2007, Mr. Garcia was elected to the American Law Institute.  The Legal 500, Super Lawyers, and the Guide to the World’s Leading Trade Mark Law Practitioners regularly recognize him as a leader in the IP field.  Mr. Garcia is an active member in the Richard Linn Inn of Courts and the International Trademark Association.  Mr. Garcia is also dedicated to pro bono work, regularly representing indigent federal criminal defendants in their direct appeals.

“I am thrilled to join a blue-chip firm with a rich tradition and deep talent at rates that make sense for clients,” Mr. Garcia said.

Mr. Garcia received his bachelor’s degree from Vassar College and graduated from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was awarded the Thomas R. Mulroy Prize for Excellence in Appellate Advocacy.