Howard N. Shipley has joined Gordon & Rees as a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property practice group. Mr. Shipley joins the firm from the Washington, D.C. office of Foley & Lardner, LLP.
Mr. Shipley represents clients in the procurement of intellectual property. He also has experience handling disputes relating to intellectual property including patent, trademark and trade secret litigation in federal court as well as proceedings before Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Mr. Shipley has overseen programs for acquiring and enforcing intellectual property rights for his clients. He is experienced in all phases of patent prosecution in a wide variety of technologies, including electronic, software, power plant and energy technologies, and various mechanical applications. He has particular experience with intellectual property issues confronting companies in the automotive industry.
“We are pleased to welcome Howard to Gordon & Rees’ DC Office. Howard immediately adds capacity and depth to our IP capacity nationally and expands our practice offerings in the DC Office,” said O'Kelly McWilliams, managing partner of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.
Mr. Shipley is a former patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and was a law clerk to the Honorable Claude M. Hilton, United States District Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He is a former nuclear submarine officer and retired as a commander from the U.S. Naval Reserve. Mr. Shipley is a member of the American Nuclear Society.
Mr. Shipley earned his B.S. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and his J.D. from The George Mason University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
One of the fastest-growing firms in the country, Gordon & Rees is a national litigation and business transactional firm with more than 650 lawyers and 35 offices in 22 states. Gordon & Rees is currently the 71st largest law firm in the United States, and ranks No. 26 on the American Lawyer’s Diversity Scorecard. Gordon & Rees has been recognized on the "BTI Client Service A-Team" survey in each of the past three years and has been honored as a 2014 "Go-To Law Firm" for Fortune 500 companies. Gordon & Rees was selected for Corporate Counsel magazine's 2014 "Who Represents America's Biggest Companies" list.