Shawn W. O’Dowd has joined Banner Witcoff as of counsel in Washington, D.C., adding nearly three decades of patent prosecution, counseling, and litigation experience to the nationally recognized intellectual property law firm.

Shawn
is the latest of counsel addition to Banner Witcoff, which also welcomed four
lateral associates during the first quarter of 2019. He comes to the firm from
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, following the June 2018 addition of first-chair patent litigation
attorney John R. Hutchins. Both Shawn and John were partners
in the D.C. office of Kenyon & Kenyon LLP, which eventually became part of Hunton
Andrews Kurth.

“Shawn
is highly respected in the industry and brings a range of experience that will
add depth to our patent practice,” said Banner Witcoff President Andy Mu. “He
is an outstanding addition to our continuously growing firm and we are fortunate
to have him.”

Recognized
as a leading patent professional by Intellectual
Asset Management magazine in 2018, Shawn focuses his practice on patent
prosecution involving electrical and computer technologies, client counseling, inter partes reviews, and other patent
matters. He has extensive experience before the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office, and has represented high-profile clients in the transportation,
automotive, construction, energy, and financial services industries.

“Banner
Witcoff has a reputation as a top IP firm and is a great fit for my skill set,”
Shawn said. “I am thrilled to be joining a firm that has been serving clients
in this space for nearly a century.”

Earlier
in his career, Shawn worked as a systems engineer intern on the TRIDENT submarine’s
command and control system, and was a research assistant in IBM’s intellectual
property law department. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from The George
Washington University Law School, and a Bachelor of Science degree in
electrical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University.

The
four associates who have joined Banner Witcoff so far this year are Sunita Adluri,
Jihan Joo and Christian LaForgia in Washington, D.C., and Kerry Creeron
in Chicago. Sunita and Jihan came to the firm as associates from Sughrue Mion
PLLC; Christian as IP counsel from Wickr; and Kerry as an associate from Lee
Sullivan Shea & Smith LLP.