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Lawyer  |  Veteran  |  Warrior


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, Gary decided there was a better way to serve clients than the conventional "BigLaw" approach. To avoid the red tape and restrictive nature of the large law firm model, and always wanting at some point to have his own firm, he launched the Hood Legal Group. The firm employs 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.


Fighting For Others


Although Gary has been fortunate to succeed at the highest levels and reap the rewards of legal work for large multinational corporations, the call to help individuals in need has never left him. That, coupled with his own personal experiences, have led him to launch a Veteran Services unit of his law firm. He's named it Tier One Law , an homage to our Nation's Tier One military units and their driven, committed mission-focus. The firm serves military Veterans who are seeking VA disability benefits they earned from their service to the country, emphasizing the most critical cases in which a Veteran has been diagnosed with cancer - an unfortunate event that is happening with alarming frequency in our combat warriors and a cause with deep meaning for Gary personally. The firm provides pro bono assistance for initial claims, and represents Veterans no matter how far in the VA appeal process their cases takes them.


Education


  • University of Southern California
    BSEE - Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering
     
  • Gonzaga University School of Law
    JD - Juris Doctorate (Magna Cum Laude)

Admissions


  • Accredited Attorney - Department of Veterans Affairs

  • United States Patent & Trademark Office

  • Federal Courts 
    United States Court of Appeals - Federal Circuit, 9th Circuit
    United States District Courts - Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Indiana, Eastern District of Michigan, Eastern District of Texas, Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington

  • States - Illinois, Washington


Military Awards & Organizations


AWARDS


  • Navy Commendation Medal
  • Navy Achievement Medal
  • National Defense Service Medal
  • Southwest Asia Service Medal (with bronze service star)
  • Kuwait Liberation Medal



ORGANIZATIONS


  • VFW - Post 2511, Porter, IN, Post Benefits Advisor
  • American Legion - Post 189, Sebastian, FL


Legal Awards & Recognitions


Named by Acquisition International Magazine as Leading IP Litigator of the Year 2025 - USA


Named by Intellectual Asset Management to the Global IAM Patent 1000, 2014-2025

Honored by Managing Intellectual Property Magazine as an IP Star, 2013-2025

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 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

Publications & Presentations


Blog Post, "The Law Is Complicated - But It Is Not Complex" - Hoodlegalgroup.com, October 2, 2025 


Blog Post, “Artificial Property” - A New Form Of Intangible Property, Blog - Hoodlegalgroup.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