A seasoned IP trial lawyer with experience as lead counsel, Chris concentrates his practice in the pharma, biotech and chemical arts.Chris has decades of experience in life sciences litigation, leveraging his advocacy and technical skills to help clients shape successful IP strategies. He has represented both patentees and defendants in U.S. district courts and in appeals before the Federal Circuit. As a member of the Trial Bar, he also serves as local counsel for IP-related cases in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.Chris provides strategic guidance in developing and managing IP portfolios, and is sought out for his ability to provide counseling on a wide variety of IP issues, including opinions on validity, infringement, patentability, and freedom-to-operate, as well as trade secrets, trademarks and copyrights.Additionally, Chris prepares and prosecutes patent applications, and is experienced in inter partes reviews (IPR) and post-grant reviews (PGR).Chris is sought-after as a lecturer on IP issues worldwide, and enjoys teaching. He was an Adjunct Professor at UIC School of Law (John Marshall), where he developed a Master’s level course in patent law. Among other topics, this course presented strategies in patent preparation, prosecution and portfolio development.Prior to co-founding Green Griffith, Chris was Corporate Secretary of Leydig, Voit & Mayer, Ltd., serving on its Board of Directors.His peers selected Chris as a Super Lawyer in IP Litigation, a Leading Lawyer in IP Law and Patent Law, and a Top Illinois Intellectual Property Lawyer (Chicago Lawyer). He also has been vetted and named an "IP Star" (Managing IP), a "Life Sciences Star" (LMG Life Sciences), and is a member of the IAM 1000 in IP litigation (Intellectual Asset Management).Representative clients (career): Abraxis, AGFA-Gevaert, Alberto-Culver, Cargill, Celgene, Clarus Therapeutics, Corning, DSM, Ecolab, Elkay, Fujisawa, Nalco, NIH, Pall Corporation.

Adjunct Professor, LLM and JD Courses in Patent Law & U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PracticeLecturer, Current Developments in US IP Law, presented to Chinese Law Firms as well as Appellate Judges of SIPO (State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China), 2006-2017Lecturer, Prosecution Methods and Strategies in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, presented to Chinese Law Firms as well as Appellate Judges of SIPO (State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China), 2006-2017

Chris was active in all phases of domestic and international intellectual property practice at Leydig, with an emphasis on the litigation of pharmaceutical, chemical and mechanical patents. He possesses two decades of specialized experience in consultation and litigation under the Hatch-Waxman Act. This experience includes numerous matters in the U.S. District Courts, and appeals before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, representing both brand and generic companies. He has appeared as lead counsel in numerous matters--formulating litigation strategy and directing the activities of the litigation team on a day-to-day basis.Chris has partnered with clients, providing strategic guidance on the development of intellectual property strategies and portfolio management, with an emphasis in the life sciences, including pharmaceuticals and biologics. This involved counseling and providing opinions on validity, infringement, inventorship, patentability and enforceability, as well as on a variety of trademark issues. He also prepared freedom-to-operate opinions, drafted, analyzed and negotiated licensing agreements, and conducted due diligence investigations. He also continued his practice of drafting and prosecuting patent, trademark and copyright applications, and possesses experience in patent appeals, reexaminations, reissue, and interference proceedings, as well as IPRs and post-grant proceedings under the AIA.The primary technologies in which he has been involved include pharmaceuticals, biologics, small molecules, polymers, coatings, separations including filtration, and a variety of other chemical and biological processes, as well as mechanical engineering subject matter.Chris lectured frequently on various aspects of patent law, and is an Adjunct Professor at the John Marshall Law School, where he developed and taught a Masters level course in U.S. patent law, including patent prosecution techniques and strategies, for many years.