Jeff Barron
Jeff M. Barron is a partner in the Indianapolis, Indiana office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP and a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Department. Mr. Barron counsels clients who need to overcome complex legal challenges. Most of Mr. Barron’s practice involves two areas: As a trial lawyer representing clients in disputes over patents or other intellectual property rights and as a counselor for clients facing claims of fraud or other wrongdoing.
About two-thirds of Mr. Barron’s practice involves patent or other intellectual property disputes, with a current emphasis on telecommunications, VoIP, and on-demand data applications. Over the course of his career, however, Mr. Barron has assisted clients with disputes involving a variety of technological arts.
Mr. Barron also works with Barnes & Thornburg’s patent prosecution teams to assist clients in weighing the benefits of various patent office proceedings, both as a part of and as a corollary to patent litigation. Mr. Barron has assisted clients in evaluating when to provoke interferences or pursue inter partes (and in rare casesex parte) reexaminations as part of a broader litigation strategy. With the enactment of the America Invents Act, Mr. Barron’s global approach to patent litigation strategy now includes evaluating the inter partes reviews and other proceedings under the Act.
Although Mr. Barron’s current practice focuses on IP disputes, an important additional component of Mr. Barron’s work consists of assisting clients in the defense of complex fraud claims. For example, Mr. Barron has represented a government contractor in connection with various government inquiries and alleged violations of the False Claims Act. Mr. Barron was also part of a global defense effort for a manufacturer accused of fraud and RICO violations, which included depositions in London, Mexico City, Hong Kong. See Banco del Atlantico, S.A. v. Woods Industries, Inc., 519 F.3d 350 (7th Cir. 2008). Notably, Mr. Barron took one of the two depositions cited by the Seventh Circuit as leading to the dismissal of Banco del Atlantico lawsuit.
In addition to his involvement with TechPoint Foundation for Youth, Mr. Barron also occasionally guest lectures to law students and attorneys, including before the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum (ICLEF) and students at the IUPUI School of Law.
Mr. Barron graduated cum laude from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review. Mr. Barron received his B.A. in economics and a certificate in journalism from Indiana University - Bloomington. He is a member of the Bars of the States of Illinois and Indiana, as well as several federal courts.