Meet Gary...
Gary Hood is a 30 year courtroom veteran and former BigLaw partner. In his extensive legal career, he represented Fortune 500 companies in major patent and trademark cases in courtrooms nationwide. He represented small businesses and individuals in a broad array of disputes. And he even represented those accused of the most serious crimes. He is a veteran United States Naval Officer who served in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm, and on counter-narcotics operations in Central and South America. And now, he's a guy who has decided to commit his time and effort to bring his extensive experience and skills to bear to serve others.
Gary and his wife Debbie have been married for nearly 30 years. Together, they are the proud parents of a successful broadcast journalist/news anchor. Gary is a former competitive swimmer and lifelong waterman who still spends significant time in and around water, swimming, surfing, boating, boarding, and otherwise immersed. He's a proud USC Trojan alum, who also now supports his daughter's alma mater - Fight On! and Roll Tide!
Gary and Debbie are originally West Coast natives but have lived for years in the Chicagoland area. They now split their time between their Chicagoland home and their long-time home in Melbourne Beach, Florida. They enjoy travel, outdoor recreation, and volunteering in a variety of veteran, political, and other public service and private organizations.
More About Gary...
Experience
A 30 year trial lawyer
Gary was first admitted to the bar of the State of Washington in 1996. He began his practice of law with a highly regarded regional law firm in the Pacific Northwest, taking civil and criminal cases to gain as much experience as possible trying cases to judge and jury. After several years successfully practicing general civil and criminal law, Gary transitioned his practice to emphasize intellectual property, so that he could apply his undergraduate electrical engineering degree to litigation. He took and passed the Patent Bar examination, becoming a registered patent lawyer.
With broad and deep trial and courtroom experience, Gary was eventually recruited to join an AmLaw 100 firm in its Chicago office. Gary moved his family to the Windy City in 2003, and embarked on the next phase of his legal career. Over the next 20 years, he gained extensive patent and trademark litigation experience, representing clients on everything from medical devices such as hip and knee implants, to electronics technology, to pharmaceuticals.
Gary was eventually recruited to join another AmLaw 100 firm in Chicago, to found and build a generic pharmaceutical patent practice there. He did so, building a team that represented some of the largest and most successful generic pharmaceutical manufacturers in the world. He and his team exceled inside the courtroom and out, garnering many wins and generating millions in dollars of revenue for the firm. Gary was eventually tapped to lead the entire firm's IP litigation division, and serve on the firm's board of directors.
By 2022, the firm's senior leadership had increasingly bowed to the vocal politicized demands of left-leaning client and interest groups. After multiple attempts to persuade the firm to strike a more neutral tone and "stick to practicing law," Gary decided he would no longer support that approach to law practice and launched his own firm instead. He founded the Hood Legal Group, employing an innovative approach not only to how IP cases are handled legally, but how they are billed (flat fees) and staffed (on-demand customized case teams).
A United States Navy Veteran
Before he became a lawyer, Gary first decided to serve his country. After earning an undergraduate electrical engineering degree, he decided to forego a lucrative engineering job and instead join the United States Navy. Attending Officer Candidate School in 1988, Gary earned an active duty "USN" commission by graduating in the top 10% of his OCS class.
After completing initial follow-on training, Gary was eventually assigned to active duty aboard the USS Rentz (FFG-46), homeported in San Diego, California. Serving first as Communications Officer (COMMO), and later as Combat Information Center Officer (CICO) and Assistant Operations Officer, Gary deployed to the Middle East for Operation Desert Storm as well as to Central and South America for counter-narcotics operations. He earned his Surface Warfare Officer qualification pin, and was awarded a number of medals and commendations, including the Navy Commendation Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze service star, and Kuwait Liberation Medal.
Following his honorable discharge from active duty in 1993, Gary continued to serve in the drilling reserves. At the request of his former USS Rentz commanding officer, he returned to the Rentz shortly after leaving active duty, embarking shipboard for the first portion of its Middle East/WestPac deployment. His mission was to train junior officer and other personnel to prepare them for potential combat operations in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. Later during law school, he joined Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit (MIUWU) 102, based in Spokane, Washington, actively drilling with that unit for the three years of law school. During that time, he deployed twice to South Korea in support of various training operations. While a Navy reservist, Gary was awarded the Navy Achievement medal. After law school graduation, he remained on inactive reserve duty until he was honorably discharged in 2000.
Education
J.D., Magna Cum Laude, Gonzaga University, 1996
Gonzaga Law Review, Editor-in-Chief
National Moot Court Competition, Regional Champion and National Sweet Sixteen Qualifier
B.S., University of Southern California, 1988
Electrical Engineering
Men's Swimming Team
Fraternity Vice-President
Awards & Distinctions
Named by Acquisition International Magazine as IP Litigator of the Year 2024 (USA), and Recipient of the Excellence Award in Media & Sports Representation Services 2024
Named by Intellectual Asset Management to the Global IAM Patent 1000, 2014-2024
Honored by Managing Intellectual Property Magazine as an IP Star, 2013-2024
Named by Acquisition International Magazine as IP Litigator of the Year 2023 (USA)
Named a Lawyer of Distinction Distinguished Member, 2019-2024, IP and Rights Litigation
Named "National Intellectual Property Star" by Benchmark Litigation, 2022
Named "Local Litigation Star" by Benchmark Litigation, 2021
Named "IP Litigation Lawyer of the Year" for Illinois by The Lawyer Network, 2021
Global Award Winner, IP Litigation, USA/Illinois, Leaders in Law, 2021
Named "Notable Veteran Leader in Law" by Crain's Chicago Business, 2020
Named "Notable GenX Leader in Law" by Crain's Chicago Business, 2019
Selected for inclusion in Chicago Lawyer as Leading Lawyer in Copyright & Trademark Law, Intellectual Property Law, Patent Law, 2014-2021
Winner of Leaders in Law Global Award, 2020
Law Practice Admissions
States
Washington – 1996
Illinois – 2004
Federal Courts
United States Courts of Appeals - Federal Circuit, Ninth Circuit
United States District Courts - Northern District of Illinois (general and trial bars), Northern District of Indiana, Eastern District of Michigan, Eastern District of Texas, Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington
United States Patent and Trademark Office (2002)
Military Awards
Navy Commendation Medal
Navy Achievement Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal (with bronze service star)
Kuwait Liberation Medal
Public Service & Engagement
American Legion Member, 2006–present
Board of Zoning Appeals, Beverly Shores, Indiana Member, 2010–2011
Bridges Center for Grieving Children, Tacoma, Washington Professional Advisory Committee, 2002–2003
Brown’s Point Improvement Club, Brown’s Point, Washington Trustee, 1999–2000
City of Federal Way, Washington Ethics Board Member, 1997–2000
Plan Commission, Beverly Shores, Indiana Member, 2009–2011, President, 2010–2011
Veterans of Foreign Wars Member, 2025-present
Publications & Presentations
Blog Post, “Artificial Property” - A New Form Of Intangible Property, Blog - GaryHood.com, October 2, 2024
News Update, President Signs Orange Book Transparency Act of 2020, January 11, 2021
Coordinator and Presenter, COVID-19 and Litigation: A Roundtable Discussion of Remote Advocacy in the Face of a Global Pandemic, June 16, 2020
Author, A Strategic - but Unconventional - Approach to Litigation, Intellectual Property 2019 Expert Guide
Presenter, Eastern District of Texas 2018 Bench Bar Conference, Dallas, TX October 18, 2018
Presenter, ACI Paragraph IV Disputes Master Symposium, Chicago, IL October 2, 2018
Author, How Do You Determine What Is At The Heart Of A Dispute? Lawyer Monthly Q&A, Lawyer Monthly, September 28, 2018
Co-Presenter, The Policy and Practicalities of Jurisdiction - Debating the Impact of TC Heartland on Paragraph IV Litigation, ACI Paragraph IV Disputes Master Symposium, Chicago, IL October 2, 2017
News Alert, Supreme Court’s Patent Dance Decision: Victories & Uncertainties, June 2017
News Alert, Supreme Court Patent Ruling: What Lies Ahead, May 24, 2017
News Alert, Federal Circuit Clarifies AIA On-Sale Bar Provision Applies Where Existence of Sale Is Public, May 2017
Contributor, In This Patent Hotspot, Bow Ties Mean Business Featured in Law360, March 24, 2017
Update, Supreme Court Decision Alters Patent Defense Landscape, March 2017
Presenter, Tips and Strategies in Winning Paragraph IV Disputes in 2016 & Beyond, LIVE Webcast The Knowledge Group, August 23, 2016
Update, New Guidance on Mandatory Notice in the Biosimilar ‘Patent Dance’, July 8, 2016
Contributor, Biosimilars Litigation: Challenges Mini-Roundtable Corporate Disputes Magazine. The round-table focused on the pharmaceutical industry, and the particular logistical and practical challenges presented for litigation under the Biologics Price Competition & Innovation Act, September 2015
Presenter, Hatch-Waxman Act Updates in 2015, LIVE Webcast, July 20, 2015
Update, Recently Finalized FDA Guidance Indicates Some Flexibility for Biosimilars, May 5, 2015 Update, Generic Drug Manufacturers to be Investigated by HHS for Recent Price Hikes, April 15, 2015
Update, SCOTUS Today: TTAB Decisions, Not Federal Courts Will Be Final Arbiter in Many Trademark Cases, March 24, 2015
Update, Recent Developments in Exercising Personal Jurisdiction in Hatch-Waxman Cases, February 3, 2015
Author, Patents and Trademarks Annual Review 2015, Financier Worldwide Magazine. The article broadly addresses the status of and recent developments in patent and trademark law in the U.S., and provides insight into best practices on issues facing companies in this area, February 2015
Contributor, Resolving Patent Disputes Roundtable, Financier Worldwide Magazine. The discussion addressed resolving patent disputes, focusing on frequency of patent disputes, trends in patent dispute resolution, the impact of the American Invents Act on patent litigation, and developments and strategies for resolving patent disputes, October 2014
Panel Moderator, Brand Name and Generic Interpretations of the Changing Paradigm for Generic Market Entry: Identifying New Due Diligence Concerns Relative to ANDA Drug Targets and Anticipating New Paragraph IV Challenges, ACI Paragraph IV Disputes Master Symposium, Chicago, IL September 2014
Presenter, Hatch-Waxman Generic Pharmaceuticals Litigation Hot Topics Webinar, June 26, 2014 Moderator, The Gauntlet Rethrown: The Paragraph IV Certification and Notice Letter ACI Paragraph IV Disputes Conference, New York, NY April 2014
Presenter, Advanced Pleading Strategies And Effectively Using Dispositive Motions In Paragraph IV Disputes Paragraph IV Disputes Master Symposium, Chicago, IL October 2013
Presenter, New Exclusivity Challenges: Brands Take Notice, Its Not Just for Generics Anymore Presented at ACI Paragraph IV Disputes Conference, New York, NY May 2013
Presenter, And They're Off: The Start of the Paragraph IV Lawsuit, The Generic Perspective Presented at ACI Paragraph IV Disputes Conference, New York, NY April 2012
Author, Bust the Bad Guys - How to Harness Criminal Intellectual Property Laws to Protect Your Company's Valuable IP Assets, Intellectual Property Owners Association Website Publications, 2005
Author, Refuse to Play the Game: An Alternative Document Production Strategy in Intellectual Property Litigation 16 Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal 5, 2004