Barnes & Thornburg names Scott Simmonds as intellectual property department chair

November 14, 2024 – INDIANAPOLIS – Barnes & Thornburg announced today that Scott M Simmonds has been named chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Department, where he will lead one of the largest and fastest-growing intellectual property (IP) practices in the country.

Simmonds succeeds Julia Spoor Gard, who exhibited exemplary leadership and commitment to growth during her seven-year tenure as department chair. Gard remains a partner of the firm and will maintain her active IP practice.

As chair of the department’s patent practice and member of the firm’s management committee, Simmonds has also played a pivotal role in significantly expanding the Intellectual Property Department in recent years. Since 2018, Barnes & Thornburg has added over 40 intellectual property attorneys, including a 17-person life sciences patent group that led to the establishment of new offices in Raleigh, Ann Arbor, and Salt Lake City.

In 2021, the firm welcomed three additional IP attorneys soon after the opening of its Boston office. Several more high-caliber partners have joined in the years that followed – in Dallas, Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Chicago – representing a wide range of capabilities, such as patent litigation, patent prosecution (particularly in life sciences and engineering), and trademark enforcement. Altogether, the department now consists of nearly 140 intellectual property attorneys and professionals and 75 registered patent attorneys and agents.

“Scott has been integral to making our Intellectual Property Department what it is today – one of the leading IP practices in the country within a national, full-service law firm,” said Andrew J Detherage, the firm’s managing partner. “Having helped build, alongside Julia, such a strong foundation, I’m excited to see Scott lead this group into its next phase of strategic growth and further enhance the extraordinary capabilities we offer clients in key IP hubs across the US.”

Simmonds, who has been with Barnes & Thornburg since 2004, is an experienced practitioner himself, advising clients on the management and enforcement of IP assets. With over a decade of experience as a design and manufacturing engineer for medical and patient care equipment and an M.B.A. from the University of Cincinnati prior to becoming an attorney, Simmonds brings a holistic approach to his work, anchored in a deep understanding of his clients’ businesses and operations.

“Being named department chair provides me the opportunity to build on the accomplishments Julia spearheaded during her tenure, and I am honored to be leading such a talented group,” said Simmonds. “This is a defining moment for the group as we further strengthen our core offerings across all facets of intellectual property law, from life sciences and patent prosecution to trademark and patent litigation. I look forward to guiding the department’s ongoing growth as we continue to provide the valuable counsel that our clients have come to expect. I am excited to lead the IP Department, which is historically an integral part of our firm, providing the ability to serve our clients across a wide range of practices and needs.”

In addition to his practice and firm leadership roles, Simmonds is an active member of the community. He has served on the board of several non-profits. For several years, he sat on – and chaired – the Decatur County Memorial Hospital board and currently sits on the board of the Oldenburg Academy.  

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