Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, today announced the continued growth of the Chicago office with intellectual property litigators Timothy Sendek, former leader of the IP Litigation Team at a regional law firm, and Darrick Hooker. They each join Akerman as a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group and bolster its capabilities in Chicago. The office has become a key center for global IP matters, with strengths in patent and trade secret litigation, patent prosecution and counseling in the United States, Asia and Europe.
“Tim and Darrick are accomplished trial lawyers with impressive experience handling IP litigation, procurement and counseling,” said Michael Switzer, chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group. “Their arrival broadens our strengths and international reach, as we expand our presence across major business centers to better serve our clients.”
Tim Sendek
Sendek focuses his practice on patent, trademark and copyright disputes in U.S. District Courts, the International Trade Commission (ITC), and at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board. His experience includes numerous Section 337 trials at the ITC, jury and bench trials in district court and patent office litigation, including more than 60 inter partes review (IPR) proceedings. A registered patent lawyer with a background in engineering, Sendek represents clients in a range of technologies and sectors, including automotive, electronics, food and beverage and consumer goods. In addition to his litigation experience, he advises clients on IP compliance, risk management, counseling and patent prosecution. At the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Sendek has asserted and defended petitions for IPR and other America Invents Act post-grant challenges. In 2015, Patexia ranked him as one of the top five U.S. lawyers handling IPR petitions. In addition to practice, Sendek teaches patent litigation as an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois College of Law.
Darrick Hooker
Hooker is a counselor and a litigator who routinely counsels and represents clients with a variety of intellectual property issues, including patent litigation and counseling relating to litigation, as well as trade secret, trademark, copyright and entertainment matters. He has transactional and litigation experience representing clients, including but not limited to, the medical devices, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, computer software, chemicals, mechanical devices, industrial, renewable energy, utility, mechanical engineering and automotive/transportation industries. He also assists his clients with licensing, risk assessment and management, internal governance, compliance, freedom to operate, and due diligence investigations in connection with licensing transactions, mergers and acquisitions. He also advises clients on entertainment matters, including licensing and branding issues. As a commercial litigator, Hooker has litigated both jury and non-jury cases involving complex commercial matters, including cyber security, product liability, premises liability and commercial agreements. As a result, he has developed a reputation for having an in-depth understanding of a client’s business and technology to successfully identify and manage global assets, and prepare for and manage litigation.
He is admitted to practice before several federal courts and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He also serves on the board of directors of the Institute for Science & Education Technology, Free Spirit Media, and the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association. Hooker is also a member of the Intellectual Property Advisory Board at the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University-Bloomington.
About Akerman
Akerman LLP is a top 100 U.S. law firm recognized by Financial Times as among the most forward thinking firms in the industry. Its more than 650 lawyers and business professionals collaborate with the world’s most successful enterprises and entrepreneurs to navigate change, seize opportunities, and overcome barriers to innovation and growth. Akerman is known for its results in middle market M&A and complex disputes, and for helping clients achieve their most important business objectives in the financial services, real estate, and other dynamic sectors across the United States and Latin America.
Akerman’s Intellectual Property Practice Group serves clients worldwide in all areas of intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and the Internet. Ranked nationally by U.S. News – Best Lawyers in intellectual property litigation, the group handles complex and high-profile cases spanning a range of industries, including technology, life sciences, fashion, entertainment and sports, and chemical, among others.
Akerman also delivers important developments in IP law on its Marks, Works & Secrets Blog.