Barnes & Thornburg Expands Chicago Office

CHICAGO - Barnes & Thornburg LLP announced today that Mark L. Durbin and Peter N. Moore have joined the firm’s Chicago office as partners in the Litigation Department. Previously, Durbin and Moore worked in the Chicago office of Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP.

“Mark and Peter’s depth of experience in all types of complex commercial and intellectual property litigation will enhance the firm’s high-profile and nimble litigation capabilities in Chicago,” said Mark Rust, Managing Partner of the firm’s Chicago office. “With their arrival, Barnes & Thornburg is now one hundred attorneys strong in Chicago. We are extremely pleased to have attorneys of their caliber join us.”

Durbin is a trial lawyer who regularly represents national and international clients in intellectual property and complex commercial litigation disputes and consumer class actions.  He has tried cases in courts around the country involving patent infringement, breach of contract, breach of warranty, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, theft of trade secrets, defamation, and product liability.

A former law clerk for Honorable William C. Bryson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Moore has pursued and defended both patent and general litigation cases on behalf of clients in the computer, telecommunications, automotive, and agricultural industries, among others. In addition to his trial-level experience, Moore has participated in numerous successful appeals in various state and federal appellate courts.

“Mark and Peter add talent and trial experience to our expanding commercial litigation practice,” said Bill McErlean, chair of Barnes & Thornburg’s Litigation Department. “They both offer sophisticated skills in handling complicated IT and IP commercial litigation matters that will be invaluable to our clients.”

About Mark Durbin

Durbin regularly defends businesses in class actions around the United States, with a particular focus on consumer fraud, consumer protection, false advertising and breach of warranty claims.

He has also counseled clients on issues related to their customer and supplier relationships, contract terms and conditions, advertising practices and business process improvements to reduce potential exposure.

He has also been involved in commercial disputes concerning a wide-variety of topics, such as breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, distributorship disputes, shareholder disputes, covenants not to compete and defamation.

Held in high esteem by his colleagues and clients, Durbin was selected to appear in Chicago Lawyer and Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s prestigious “40 Under Forty” list—a compilation of Illinois’ finest young attorneys—and has been repeatedly selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer by Law & Politicsmagazine.

Durbin received his J.D. from DePaul University and B.A. from the University of Illinois.

About Peter Moore

Moore has experience with complex IP and general commercial litigation matters with a technology focus. While at Edwards Wildman, he second-chaired a trial team led by Durbin to successfully defend one of the nation’s largest agricultural manufacturers in a patent infringement jury trial in the District of Delaware. He has also participated in dozens of cases in the federal and state courts and International Trade Commission, involving a diverse range of issues including patent infringement, copyright and trademark disputes, Internet marketing practices, contract and indemnity claims, and others. Moore also regularly counsels clients and colleagues on e-discovery issues and courtroom technology.

Prior to joining Edwards Wildman, Moore practiced for three years as a litigation associate with Latham & Watkins LLP in Chicago, concentrating on patent litigation. Before that, Moore clerked for the Honorable William C. Bryson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (2003-2004).

He received his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law cum laude, and his B.S. in Computer Science from Northwestern University cum laude.

With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from its offices in Atlanta, Delaware, Chicago, Indiana, Los Angeles, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com.