Gills Receives Nation's Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40 Award

Foley announced today that the National Bar Association and IMPACT have named Jeanne M. Gills, partner in the firm’s Chicago office, as a recipient of the inaugural Nation’s Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40 Award. This prestigious honor recognizes talented attorneys within the African American legal community who have achieved prominence and distinction in their fields through continued professional dedication and community involvement.

The Nation’s Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40 Award is presented to attorneys who have demonstrated a strong commitment to empowering, uplifting and advocating for the African American community. Award recipients are selected based on achievement, community involvement, innovation, vision, and leadership.

Ms. Gills is vice-chair of Foley’s national Intellectual Property Department and a member and former vice-chair of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. Additionally, she serves on the firm’s Diversity Committee and is former chair of its African-American Attorneys Affinity Group.

Her trial experience includes prominent “bet the company” cases as well as matters involving semiconductors, memory devices, plasma displays, optical projectors, and other complex electronics and computer software. Throughout her career she has represented clients in diverse industries in patent, trade secret, trademark, copyright, and unfair competition litigation and appeals.

Ms. Gills’ commitment to community engagement is evident in part through her work with Links Unlimited, a not-for-profit organization that provides educational services and mentoring to economically disadvantaged African American youth from the Chicago area. In 2008, Ms. Gills became a mentor for Chicago high school students through her involvement with this organization.

In addition to receiving the Nation’s Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40 Award, Ms. Gills was previously honored by the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) as one of the country’s “Top Minority IP Partners.” She was also recognized in Who’s Who in Black Chicago, named as a leading patent litigator and trade secrets lawyer by The Legal 500 US (2007), and selected for inclusion in Law & Politics Media, Inc.’s list of Illinois Super Lawyers (2005-2010). In addition, Ms. Gills has achieved an “AV” rating via Martindale-Hubble’s peer review process.