Fish & Richardson Principal Juanita Brooks Named to California Bar Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame

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Jul 20, 2017, 12:05 ET

SAN DIEGO, July 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Fish & Richardson has announced that firm principal Juanita Brooks will be inducted into the California State Bar Litigation Section's Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame in a ceremony on August 18, 2017. Since 1994, the honor is annually bestowed upon one or two exceptional trial lawyers whose careers exemplify the highest of values and professional achievement. Brooks will be the first Latina honoree and only the third inductee from San Diego to receive the honor.

Juanita Brooks, a principal in Fish & Richardson’s Southern California office, will be inducted into the California State Bar Litigation Section’s Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame in a ceremony on August 18, 2017.& Each year, this honor is bestowed upon one or two exceptional trial lawyers whose careers exemplify the highest of values and professional achievement. Brooks will be the first Latina honoree and only the third inductee from San Diego to receive the honor.

Brooks was chosen for her accomplishments in both the courtroom and community, the breadth and diversity of her litigation practice, her pro bono work and well-known integrity and professionalism—attributes and achievements for which she is often recognized.

She is a leading trial and appellate litigator, who specializes in intellectual property, product liability and mass tort litigation. She is nationally known for her storytelling, hard-hitting cross-examinations and ability to decipher complex technologies for judges and juries.

Nicknamed "a titan of the patent bar," an "IP icon" and a "jury whisperer" Brooks has led more than 150 trials throughout her 40-year career. Brooks' courtroom success translates to billions of dollars in verdicts and savings to clients while paving the way for new patent laws to be established.

Often the only woman and minority in the courtroom, Brooks has spent her career dedicated to diversifying the legal profession. The first in her family to graduate from high school, Brooks graduated from San Diego State University at the age of 19 and Yale School of Law at the age of 22 before entering the legal arena.

Brooks was the first Hispanic woman to establish a private criminal defense practice in San Diego and has remained a frequent volunteer, speaker and advocate for women and minorities for decades. After more than 20 years in practice, Brooks joined Fish & Richardson in 2000, refocusing her practice on intellectual property and patent litigation. Today, both Fortune 100 corporations and start-ups turn to Brooks to protect and defend their groundbreaking technologies and pharmaceuticals.

In 2014, Brooks was named "Litigator of the Year" by The American Lawyer. She has also been honored by numerous organizations including the National Law Journal, Managing Intellectual Property, Daily Journal, Best Lawyers in America, Law360, Benchmark Litigation and LMG Life Sciences North America.

Brooks and Lawrence Wayte, an attorney at McCormick, Barstow, Sheppard, Wayte & Carruth, LLP with more than 50 years of experience, join 27 litigators named to the Hall of Fame since its inception in 1994. Brooks and Wayte will also be honored at a State Bar Litigation Section awards ceremony on October 13, 2017 in San Francisco.

Fish & Richardson is a global patent prosecution, intellectual property litigation, and commercial litigation law firm with more than 400 attorneys and technology specialists in the U.S. and Europe. Our success is rooted in our creative and inclusive culture, which values the diversity of people, experiences, and perspectives. Fish is the #1 U.S. patent litigation firm, handling nearly three times as many cases as its nearest competitor; a powerhouse patent prosecution firm; a top-tier trademark and copyright firm; and the #1 firm at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, with more cases than any other firm. Since 1878, Fish attorneys have been winning cases worth billions in controversy – often by making new law – for the world's most innovative and influential technology leaders. For more information, visit https://www.fr.com or follow us at @FishRichardson.