Barry Irwin

Adjunct Associate Professor of Law

Office: 1100 Eck Hall of Law
Phone:
Fax:
Email: birwin@nd.edu
Staff Assistant: Rebecca Ward

Professor Irwin joined the Notre Dame Law School faculty in the Fall 0f 2012 as an adjunct professor teaching Patent Litigation. Prof. Irwin has practiced in the area of intellectual property litigation for over twenty years. Currently, he is a partner in the intellectual property department of Kirkland & Ellis, LLP. Prof. Irwin has been the first-chair trial attorney in numerous high-stakes patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, and unfair competition litigations for major corporations, including Covidien, International Game Technology, Kapsch, Massarelli Law Ornaments, Motorola, Shuffle Master and Smiths.

Professor Irwin also frequently counsels clients on reexamination proceedings, and on strengthening intellectual property portfolios to protect key products by, for example, broadening existing intellectual property portfolios and securing rights to third-party intellectual property.

Professor Irwin represents numerous bands and musicians, addressing music law related issues, including drafting partnership agreements, preparing copyright filings, negotiating recording contracts, litigating termination of recording contracts, and winding up band assets upon dissolution.

Professor Irwin is a member of the Board of Lawyer's for Creative Arts. He is active in pro bono matters involving a broad range of issues and hundreds of attorney hours annually, including matters involving: the confinement conditions at the Chicago juvenile detention facility; employment discrimination; and a trial of an aggravated assault charge (resulting in acquittal). He has also supervised numerous associates serving as guardian ad litem. Some of his pro bono efforts were featured in articles: Pro Bono Group Lends Helping Hand to Creative Arts (Chicago Daily Law Bulleting 2010) and For Art's Sake (The Deal Magazine 2010).

Professor Irwin lectures routinely on cutting-edge intellectual property issues. For each of the last 10 years, he has also been an instructor judge for Kirkland's Trial Advocacy program where, three times each year, Kirkland engages its associates in a mock trial program.

Professor Irwin graduated from Notre Dame Law School, magna cum laude, and received his BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.