Billingsley, Robert

Helping clients to protect and enforce their valuable intellectual property assets to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace is what David does best.  Results must be delivered within resource limitations, and in a manner that is consistent with the client's business plan and IP strategy.

David started his career in Chicago as a law firm litigator on patent, trade secrets and trademark infringement cases.  He also enjoyed an active patent opinion and product clearance, prosecution and counseling practice.

In 1994, David became the first in-house IP attorney of Cargill, Incorporated, a large, global food, agriculture, industrial, and financial products company in Minneapolis.  Over time, he helped to build a group of attorneys and paralegals within the company to handle its IP issues, and became Cargill's Deputy Chief Intellectual Property Counsel.  David personally negotiated numerous acquisition, divestiture, joint venture, licensing and collaborative research transactions with third parties on an international basis.  He also managed large-stakes litigations; provided legal opinions on a variety of infringement and patent validity issues; developed strategic patent and trademark portfolios and IP strategies for Cargill's diverse and far-flung business units; oversaw complex due diligence and IP audit projects; and counseled Cargill's senior and business unit managers on an entrusted basis.

Having spent substantial time within his career as both in-house and outside IP counsel, David brings a unique perspective to the table.  David currently works with a variety of corporate and individual clients to:  prepare and prosecute patents within a wide range of technological fields in the chemical, mechanical, biotechnology, and business method arts to protect their inventions; investigate and provide them patentability, non-infringement, and freedom-to-operate legal opinions relative to third-party patents; prepare and negotiate confidentiality, research, joint development, license, and M&A agreements to monetize the client's IP or obtain rights for them under third parties' IP; perform due diligence inquiries and analysis; litigate patent and other IP disputes; and counsel clients on a wide range of trade secrets, patent, trademark, and copyright issues.  An attentive listener and creative problem solver, David delivers results that add value to the client's bottom line.