John Marshall Law School graduates Yuezhong Feng, Reginald Hill, Francine Lynch and Manish Mehta were all recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as some of Chicago’s Notable Minority Lawyers.
The publication recognized 58 Illinois attorneys on its list. The attorneys were selected based on their practices, pro bono work and how they advance the causes of justice and equality.
To qualify for the list, honorees had to be nominated, based in the Chicago area, serving in a senior-level role at their law firm and responsible for noteworthy legal work in their practice areas.
Dr. Yuezhong Feng, a 2009 John Marshall J.D. graduate, is a shareholder and co-chair of Brinks Gilson & Lione’s China task force and an intellectual property litigator. Feng has experience in complex patent, trade secret, Hatch-Waxman, International Trade Commission and U.S. Patent & Trademark Office post-grant cases. Feng is fluent in Mandarin and frequently assists U.S. and European companies with intellectual property issues in China. With a doctorate in organic chemistry, Feng has helped companies seek patent protection in more than 100 countries.
Reginald Hill, who earned his J.D. from John Marshall in 1994, co-chairs Jenner & Block’s patent litigation and counseling practice. He focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation and counseling. Before practicing law, Hill spent 10 years as an electrical engineer in research and development at AT&T Bell Laboratories and Motorola, distinguishing himself in designing and developing computer hardware and architectures for audio and video technology.
Francine Lynch, who earned her J.D. from John Marshall in 1990, is a partner at Neal & Leroy and concentrates her practice in the areas of real estate development and land use; estates and trusts; probate and mortgage foreclosure; and zoning. During her career, Lynch has worked on many major land acquisition projects, including ones for the United Center, Kennedy King College, Chicago Transit Authority and more.
Manish Mehta, a 2006 John Marshall J.D. graduate, is a partner at Benesch and focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation, post-grant reviews, patent prosecution and counseling. Mehta is responsible for developing, creating and managing IP portfolios for his clients across a variety of industries. After joining Benesch in March 2017, Mehta established an India practice group—the firm’s first internationally focused team—and strengthened memberships in diversity organizations such as the Asian American Bar Association of Chicago and the South Asian Bar Association of Chicago.
