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

Fish & Richardson has announced that firm attorney 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.

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 Oct. 13 in San Francisco.