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Jim Francis, Attorney At Law

Jim is a registered patent attorney practicing in the areas of intellectual property, business law, and litigation. He has been in private practice since 2003 when he left The Valvoline Company after 17 years and now serves as outside counsel to the company. Jim previously worked at two of the largest law firms in the Midwest and served as co-chair of one firm’s Life Sciences Practice Group. Jim was also general counsel to several startups, a mentor to several business incubators, and is a contributing author to Navigating Legal Issues In The Biotechnology Industry: Leading Lawyers On Staying Abreast Of Supreme Court Decisions And Overcoming Challenges In Patent Filing, published by Thomson Reuters in 2016.

“My job is to help you protect your business and your future.”

Jim is a native Kentuckian but has spent a great deal of time outside of the Bluegrass state on technical and legal work endeavors. Jim comes from a family that has long been associated with the legal profession in Kentucky and is well-known to attorneys and judges across the state. Jim is frequently requested for public speaking events on intellectual property issues and has taught practicing attorneys in continuing legal education events as far away as Dallas, Texas. He was involved in assisting Congressman Geoff Davis’ office in their work on patent reform in Congress and was a member of an American Intellectual Properly Lawyers Association (AIPLA) task force that provided input to Congress regarding proposed changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Real World Experience

He has worked with clients ranging from Fortune 10 companies to startups and individuals in intellectual property matters, litigation, business transactions and licensing. Jim’s litigation experiences have led him to work on complex commercial and intellectual property matters in federal courts located in Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Massachusetts and Texas, as well as the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in Washington, D.C., and have led to interviews in major media outlets such as Bloomberg, Fox News, and the New York Times.

Bar Admissions

  • Kentucky

Education

  • J.D. – University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law
  • B.S.- Marshall University

Professional Associations

  • American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)

Honors

  • Made the cover of The New York Times