Chris Hoff Joins Barnes & Thornburg’s Expanding IP Group in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS – Barnes & Thornburg has added Chris Hoff as a partner to the growing Intellectual Property Department of the firm’s Minneapolis office. He joins the firm from global patent, IP litigation and commercial litigation law firm Fish & Richardson, where he was a principal. 

Hoff’s practice focuses on patents and patent litigation, including patent portfolio development and management, patent prosecution, and post-grant proceedings. He has deep experience developing valuable IP for a broad range of technologies and sectors, from computer software and hardware to medical devices and digital health innovations. Hoff also has appeared before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) defending and invalidating patents in numerous post-grant proceedings involving ex parte and inter partes reexaminations and review proceedings. 

“Chris has deep roots within the Minneapolis business and entrepreneurial community that will be a valuable addition to our office,” said Connie Lahn, managing partner of the firm’s Minneapolis office. “His experience working with clients of all sizes, from individual inventors and startups to national tech companies, will bring significant capabilities to our practice.”

Hoff’s background also includes counseling clients on trademark, copyright, and trade secret matters, as well as providing technical assistance in patent litigation matters. Notably, he was the first volunteer patent attorney in the U.S. to obtain a patent for a pro bono client under the USPTO’s patent pro bono program. Prior to becoming an attorney, he worked as a software developer at CodeWeavers. 

“We welcomed a number of talented attorneys to our IP Department in 2022, and we’re excited to keep up the momentum this year with Chris,” said Julia Gard, chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Department. “His background in computer science and experience as a software developer gives him a unique significant perspective that resonates with our clients as we continue to help them navigate the IP landscape.”

Hoff earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School and his B.A., magna cum laude, in computer science from Carleton College.

With more than 800 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, Boston, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.