Mark Whitaker was named a 2022 Rainmaker by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA). In its annual list, MCCA honors diverse attorneys from across the nation who have achieved success through innovative business development, built a proven and compelling book of business, and demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the community.
Mark is co-chair of the firm's global Intellectual Property Litigation practice and cross-disciplinary Intellectual Property Group. He has more than 30 years of experience crafting litigation strategies in high-stakes patent and trade secret cases. Mark is also the current co-chair of the firm's Diversity Strategy Committee (DSC), supporting a variety of internal diversity, LGBTQ+, and women's initiatives and groups designed to recruit, train, mentor, and retain diverse lawyers and staff.
Outside of the firm, Mark serves as a trustee on the board of the American Intellectual Property Law Association's (AIPLA) Foundation for the Advancement of Diversity in Intellectual Property Law. Mark is a frequent speaker at the AIPLA, the American Bar Association, the Practising Law Institute, various state and local bar associations, and numerous CLE events all over the country.
Mark is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served first as a surface warfare officer and later as a member of the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps. Following his military service, he began his private-practice legal career as a commercial litigator before concentrating on IP and technology litigation.
The 2022 Rainmakers were honored for their accomplishments at MCCA's 2022 Creating Pathways to Diversity Conference on October 17-19thand at the 2022 Diversity Gala on October 19thin New York City.
MCCA is a nonprofit organization devoted to increasing the representation, retention, and promotion of attorneys from underrepresented groups in law firms and legal departments around the world. You can view Mark's profile on MCCA'swebsite.