R. David Donoghue

R. David Donoghue is a proven first-chair intellectual property (IP) trial attorney with significant jury trial victories and leads Holland & Knight's nationwide Intellectual Property Practice Group. Based in the Chicago office, Mr. Donoghue has established a strong track record as lead trial counsel in complex patent, trade secret, trademark and copyright disputes across district courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).

As the nationwide IP practice lead, Mr. Donoghue provides strategic direction while maintaining an active trial docket. His first-chair trial experience includes securing a complete plaintiff's jury verdict in a Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) case in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, along with winning a patent jury verdict with findings of willfulness, full trebling of damages and complete attorney's fees award for manufacturing client Meyer Corp. against a key competitor. He also served as trial counsel in a Standards Essential Patent (SEP) damages bench trial that resulted in a significant defense victory.

Mr. Donoghue's advocacy extends across diverse technology sectors, from 3G/4G/LTE telecommunications standards to medical devices, automotive technologies and software patents. He has successfully defeated preliminary injunction motions in high-stakes competitor disputes and secured early dismissals through strategic motion practice, including multiple Rule 12 victories invalidating software patents that were affirmed by the Federal Circuit.

IAM Patent 1000 has recommended Mr. Donoghue since 2014, with a recent publication noting: "A practical lawyer who gets right to the heart of any matter, David Donoghue really understands the most technical aspects of patent law. He is also great at figuring out how to win cases without spending a shed-load of his clients' money." His combination of trial experience and practical business insight stems in part from his in-house experience as a founding member of Aptiv's (f/k/a Delphi) Technology Licensing and Litigation Group, where he handled substantial international IP litigation and licensing matters. Whether he is asserting his client's IP, defending against competitors or fending off Non-Practicing Entities (NPE), Mr. Donoghue blends his deep litigation experience with practical business insight garnered from his in-house experience.

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Donoghue has served as an adjunct professor at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law, teaching legal research, writing and IP courses. At the beginning of his legal career, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Gordon J. Quist, federal district judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.

Mr. Donoghue is also the founder and principal author of the Chicago IP Litigation and Retail Patent Litigation blogs.