Derek Johnson, partner, McDermott Will & Emery

( November 14, 2012 )

Derek Johnson has been promoted to partner in the Chicago office of McDermott Will & Emery LLP. He focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation and counseling, particularly in the pharmaceutical arena. Johnson has experience, including trial experience, representing major pharmaceutical companies in federal-court litigation. His litigation practice is mainly focused on representing generic drug companies in patent infringement cases. In addition to his work on pharmaceutical matters, Johnson has been involved in litigations involving technologies in the mechanical arena. He is active in the Chicago charitable community and was the former Chair of the St. Procopius Legal Aid Clinic, a Chicago Volunteer Legal Services organization. Before becoming a lawyer, Johnson worked as a research assistant in the department of gastroenterology at the Harvard Medical School. Johnson earned his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law. He holds a Master's degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a Bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University.