Fish & Richardson Principal Juanita Brooks Named "Best in Patent" at Women in Business Law Awards

Fish also received "Best National Firm" awards for work-life balance and talent management

Juanita Brooks, an intellectual property litigator and principal at Fish & Richardson's Southern California office, was named "Best in Patent" at the eighth annual Americas Women in Business Law Awards by Euromoney Legal Media Group. Brooks was recognized for her impressive work over the past year for some of the world's largest companies, including winning a unanimous Federal Circuit affirmance of a JMOL that reversed a high-profile, $200 million jury verdict against client Gilead Sciences Inc.

The firm was also recognized as the "Best National Firm for Work-Life Balance" and the "Best National Firm for Talent Management" in North America. This is the second consecutive year that Fish has won in both of these categories, which are awarded to firms that are "setting a new standard in progressive work practices."

"'Best in patent' describes Juanita Brooks perfectly. She is a powerhouse litigator and we are thrilled to have her many accomplishments recognized with this prestigious award," said Peter Devlin, President of Fish & Richardson. "We are also honored that our firm was singled out again for our ongoing efforts and commitment to providing an exceptional workplace where all of our attorneys can thrive and be successful."

Brooks is a nationally-recognized trial and appellate attorney who focuses her practice on complex intellectual property, product liability and mass tort litigation. She is considered an innovative, formidable litigator with a demonstrated, near-perfect winning record in complex, high-stakes lawsuits that few trial attorneys can match. Known for her master storytelling, Brooks has an inherent ability to translate complex technical jargon into relatable conversational terms that both judges and juries understand.

Throughout her 40-year career, Brooks has shattered gender and ethnic barriers to become one of the nation's top litigators. She has been called "a titan of the patent bar," an "Icon of IP" and a "jury whisperer." In 2014, she was named "Litigator of the Year" by The American Lawyer and in 2017 she was inducted into the California Bar Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame, the first Latina honoree.

Along the way, Brooks has made it her personal mission to help other women and minorities advance in their careers. An elected member of Fish's Management Committee, Brooks has backed inclusive policies and programs that have diversified the firm and served as blueprints for similar policies at other organizations.