Barnes & Thornburg Adds IP Partner Phillip Goter in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS – Phillip W. Goter has joined Barnes & Thornburg’s Minneapolis office as a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Department. Goter is the latest addition to the Minneapolis office, following litigation partner Nicholas A. F. Sarokhanian and labor and employment partner Rebecca J. Bernhard, who joined earlier this year.

Goter’s arrival also marks the latest in a string of strategic intellectual property (IP) hires in Minneapolis, which includes Jason M. Zucchi and Chris Hoff.

Goter has over a decade of experience representing clients – ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies – around the world to manage, monetize, and enforce their IP, including handling litigation through trial and appeal, prosecuting patents and trademarks, conducting pre-suit investigations, advising on regulatory and competition law issues, conducting due diligence and freedom to operate analyses, and resolving complex business disputes. In particular, Goter’s teams have obtained eight-figure and nine-figure verdicts for their patent-owner clients in contingent and alternate fee litigations.

Leveraging his training as a software engineer, Goter frequently works with high-tech clients in the computer software and hardware space, bringing a keen familiarity with computer hardware, standards-essential cellular infrastructure, 5G, GPS, mobile apps, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer and network security, VoIP, wireless networking, home automation, medical devices, and cloud computing.

“We’re at a pivotal point in our understanding of IP in the realm of generative AI,” said Julia Spoor Gard, chair of Barnes & Thornburg’s Intellectual Property Department. “Phil’s work with an array of cutting-edge technology makes him a highly unique and valuable asset to our clients as we navigate this paradigm shift.”

Before joining Barnes & Thornburg, Goter was an investment manager and legal counsel for a global, publicly traded litigation finance and legal risk management company. Goter advanced the company’s IP initiatives and expanded its litigation funding presence globally by selectively investing in high-quality IP claims following extensive due diligence, turning companies’ IP into revenue-generating assets.

“With the recent expansions of our IP, labor and employment, and litigation teams, it’s been a fantastic year of growth here in Minneapolis,” said Connie A. Lahn, managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg’s Minneapolis office. “We’re pleased to welcome Phil to our stellar team, especially considering his strong reputation in the Minnesota legal community and globally.”

Outside of his legal practice, Goter teaches intellectual property at the University of Minnesota Law School. He is also a member of Lunar Startups’ Expert Network, a group of over 90 business professionals in the Twin Cities who volunteer their time to provide consulting and other business training.

Goter received his J.D. with high distinction and honors from the University of Iowa College of Law, his M.B.A. from the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business, and his M.S. and B.S. in computer science from the University of North Dakota.

With more than 800 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, Boston, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, South Florida, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com.