Washington, D.C., July 12, 2004 – LAWFUEL – On July 1, Charles F. Schill , a partner in the Washington office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, assumed the presidency of the Board of Governors of the Federal Circuit Bar Association, a national organization of attorneys who practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mr. Schill, an active member of the association for 20 years, had previously served as Secretary and president-elect of the organization.
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is the court of appeal for all patent cases nationwide and also hears appeals on cases involving tax, international trade, eminent domain and veterans issues.
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead my colleagues, who care strongly about the Court and its work,” Mr. Schill said. “We have an outstanding group of officers and a strong board, which gives me confidence that we will be successful in our mission to improve and facilitate the administration of justice in the Court of Appeals through charitable and educational activities.”
The Federal Circuit Bar Association is an affiliate of the American Bar Association organization and has tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. The organization provides portraits of Federal Circuit judges for presentation to the Court, a variety of scholarships and awards for law students, and also assists in the restoration of the Dolly Madison House on Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. In addition to working to improve the administration in the Court of Appeals, the association aims to advance the education of the public in the administration of justice and strives to lessen the burdens of government in achieving justice. It also instructs its members and the public in matters beneficial to the community.
“The Association offers a forum for common concerns and dialogue between bar and Court; government counsel and private practitioner; litigator and corporate counsel,” Mr. Schill said.
A graduate of Capital University College of Law in 1973 and Le Moyne College in 1968, Mr. Schill is a member of the Steptoe & Johnson’s International Trade & Investment and Technology, Internet & Media departments. He is an international trade and patent litigator with more than 25 years of law firm and government experience, including service as a Senior Staff Attorney in the Office of Legal Services and the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. International Trade Commission. Mr. Schill is skilled in the fields of intellectual property, evaluation, licensing and transfer of patent, copyright, database, trademark, trade secret rights, and in litigation in the courts and at federal agencies, particularly in the context of international commerce and trade. He has represented clients before the U.S. Customs Service and in antidumping, countervailing duty and escape clause investigations. Additionally, Mr. Schill successfully argued a patent case before the U.S. Supreme Court and litigated more than 60 unfair trade practice cases under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 at the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Mr. Schill is a frequent author and speaker to bar and industry groups in the U.S. and abroad on international trade regulation, the WTO, and intellectual property protection and litigation. In addition to membership in the Federal Circuit Bar Association, he is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the International Trade Commission Trial Lawyers Association and the US Group of Association International pour la Protection de la Propriete Industrielle.
Steptoe & Johnson LLP has earned a national and international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in guiding business transactions. With more than 350 attorneys, the firm has offices in Washington, London, Brussels, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. In Brussels, Steptoe may be contacted at Avenue Louis 240. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
