Jeanne M. Gills is a Partner and Vice Chair of Foley’s Intellectual Property Department and serves on the Management and Compensation Committees. Gills tries and is lead trial counsel in complex IP matters, including: Versace v. Fashion Nova involving apparel (settled days before July 2021 trial); Ingevity v. MAHLE ITC patent trial (Inv. No. 1140); TAS v. Cummins IP license trial; DeKalb v. Pioneer patent trial ($500 MM+ at stake). She additionally counsels clients on global IP strategy, including work Kraft Foods’ 2012 split (into Kraft Foods and Mondelēz) and leads the IP side of M&A transactions.
Awards and recognition include: The Best Lawyers in America (IP Litigation; Food & Beverage); IAM Patent 1000–The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners; Illinois SuperLawyers®; Chicago United Business Leaders of Color; Benchmark Litigation Local Litigation Star & Top 250 Women in Litigation.
Gills holds a B.S.E.E. (with honors) from Michigan State University, a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, and she is a registered USPTO patent attorney. Gills regularly presents seminars, publishes, and is frequently quoted on a variety of IP topics. Over her career, she has been a staunch champion of diversity in the legal profession and founded the Chicago Black Partners Alliance in 2010.
