Fish & Richardson Principal Ahmed J. Davis Named a "Most Influential Black Lawyer" for 2015 by Savoy Magazine

Washington, D.C., March 10, 2015 - Fish & Richardson announced today that Ahmed J. Davis, a principal in the Washington, D.C. office and the national chair of the firm's Diversity Initiative, has been named a "Most Influential Black Lawyer" for 2015 by Savoy magazine. The issue features the "best of the best" black lawyers - including partners within leading national law firms and corporate counsel from Fortune 1000 companies - who are widely recognized for their professionalism, protection of rights, and community service.

"We are very proud that Ahmed was selected for this prestigious recognition," said Peter J. Devlin, President of Fish & Richardson. "It is a well-deserved acknowledgment of his many accomplishments both as an outstanding intellectual property litigator and for his service to the community."

At Fish, Davis is a trial lawyer who focuses his practice on complex patent litigation in a vast range of technical areas, including chemistry, biotechnology, medical devices, and mechanical and electrical engineering. With experience in all phases of litigation, Davis has been lead counsel in the International Trade Commission and federal district court, has argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and has experience in cases before the United States Court of Federal Claims. In 2011, Davis became the first full equity African-American lawyer in the firm's 133-year history.

As national chair of Fish's Diversity Initiative, Davis leads the firm's efforts to attract, retain, and advance a diverse legal staff. He also is a member of the firm-wide Compensation Committee; the Diversity Hiring Committee, whose goal is to attract top diverse talent to the firm; and the D.C. office summer associate hiring committee. He is the pro bono coordinator for Fish's D.C. office, providing general oversight of all the cases the office handles.

"Savoy is proud to congratulate those recognized within the 2015 Most Influential Black Lawyers listing," said L.P. Green, II, Publisher of Savoy. "We salute their achievement and leadership working at the highest levels within firms of influence and global corporations. This is the definitive and most comprehensive list of black lawyers compiled within the last five years and we're proud to share their impact with our readers."

Outside of Fish, Davis is a regular speaker on issues relevant to the patent bar, and is an instructor for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. Since 2008, he has been a faculty member on the annual American Law Institute-American Bar Association Conference "Trial Of A Patent Case" and, since 2010, a faculty member at the annual Practising Law Institute Conference on Patent Litigation. He has spoken or been a guest lecturer on patent issues at Howard University Law School, Catholic University Columbus School of Law, Temple Law School, and Fordham Law School.

Davis has received numerous accolades and awards for his work. The Washington Business Journal named him one of the "Top Minority Business Leaders" of 2011. In October 2010, The Root, an online publication of The Washington Post, identified Davis as part of the next generation of African-American leaders. He also was named a "2010 Nation's Best Advocate: 40 Lawyers under 40," by the National Bar Association and IMPACT. In July 2009, he was named one of the "40 Under 40: Washington's Rising Stars" by The National Law Journal.

Before joining Fish, Davis was a law clerk for the Honorable Leonie M. Brinkema in the Alexandria Division of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (1999-2000). He also was a law clerk for the Honorable Paul R. Michel at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (2001-2002).

Davis currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Living Classrooms Foundation in Washington, D.C. and is a Deacon at Montgomery Baptist Church in Gaithersburg, MD.

He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1999, his M.S. in chemistry from Emory University in 1996, and his B.S., cum laude, in chemistry from Morehouse College in 1994.