National law firm Dinsmore & Shohl LLP announced today that veteran intellectual property attorney Richard Hoffmann has joined the Firm’s Detroit office. Recognized by IAM Strategy 300 among the world’s leading IP practitioners, Rick brings more than four decades of experience handling high-stakes patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright and licensing disputes in courts and administrative tribunals across the country.
Rick is widely regarded as one of the leading intellectual property litigators in the United States. Throughout his career, he has represented clients ranging from individual inventors to Fortune 500 companies and has handled matters in state courts, federal district courts, federal courts of appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. International Trade Commission, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Among his most notable achievements, Rick helped lead the co-counsel team in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case TrafFix Devices, Inc. v. Marketing Displays, Inc. In preparation for the matter, he worked closely with John G. Roberts Jr., who would later become Chief Justice of the United States. The Court ultimately issued a unanimous decision in favor of the client.
“I am excited to be able to broaden the clients with whom I can work on resolving their intellectual property disputes,” Rick said. “Dinsmore is close to home, and the Firm has a talented pool of attorneys. Dinsmore provides the support and resources that allow me to better serve my clients while collaborating with skilled lawyers across a national platform.”
He added that one of the opportunities he looks forward to most is mentoring the next generation of litigators.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to gain experience in virtually every type of forum where intellectual property disputes are decided,” Rick said. “I’m eager to help develop the litigation skills of younger attorneys and share what I’ve learned over the years.”
“Rick is one of the most respected intellectual property litigators in the country, and we are thrilled to welcome him to Dinsmore,” said Mark Schneider, Detroit Managing Partner and Co-Chair of Dinsmore’s Patent Opinion and Prosecution Group. “His deep experience, exceptional reputation and proven leadership will be tremendous assets to our clients and our firm. We look forward to the impact he will make as we continue to grow our nationally recognized IP practice.”
In addition to his litigation practice, Rick is a recognized author, educator and leader within the intellectual property community. He co-authored the seventh edition of Cases and Materials on Patent Law: Including Trade Secrets, published by West Academic, and recently served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where he taught Patent Law.
Rick earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University. He earned his J.D. from Detroit College of Law, where he served as note and comment editor of the law review.