Polsinelli announced today that intellectual property litigator Taras Gracey joined as a shareholder in its Chicago office.

Gracey brings over 20 years of experience to the firm’s growing Intellectual Property Department, which is comprised of more than 120 attorneys, patent agents and scientists coast to coast. Gracey focuses his practice on litigating patent issues in the pharmaceutical and technology sectors, most notably as part of the team that successfully challenged a patent on the antidepressant Prozac. His arrival further strengthens the firm’s position as a market-leader in Hatch-Waxman litigation and opinion work.

“Taras is an exciting addition to our growing team,” said Intellectual Property Litigation Chair Gary Hood. “He brings great insight and experience to our Hatch-Waxman group, having litigated numerous ANDA cases and taken many to trial for generic pharmaceutical clients. He also adds a broader perspective on technology matters in other cutting-edge sectors, such as semiconductors and mobile display units.”

Polsinelli has 20 offices nationwide. Gracey’s arrival in Chicago overlaps with the addition of a renowned team of life sciences patent attorneys there and adds to the current growth seen across Polsinelli’s IP team, including other new hires over the past six months in Boston, New York City, Washington D.C., St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Earlier this year, recognizing the increased client focus on IP, Polsinelli announced that it elevated Intellectual Property as a fourth Service Department to serve alongside Polsinelli’s existing Business, Litigation, and Real Estate and Financial Services Departments.

“Polsinelli is a natural place for me to be at this point in my career,” Gracey said. “There’s such enthusiasm for continuing to build this world-class practice while also providing a range of business-minded regulatory and transactional services to support clients in the pharmaceutical and other technology-driven industries.”

Gracey is a graduate of Duke University School of Law and the University of California, Berkeley.