Jamie D. Underwood has joined Alston & Bird’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group, where she will spearhead the its top-ranked Section 337 practice. Ms. Underwood is an experienced intellectual property litigator who specializes in working with clients to resolve Section 337 unfair import investigations and related enforcement issues before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Alston & Bird has built one of the nation’s preeminent Section 337 practices that, during 2010, had more appearances as lead counsel in Section 337 patent cases than any other law firm.
An active participant in the intellectual property field, Ms. Underwood is an executive committee member of the ITC Trial Lawyers Association and editor-in-chief of that organization’s 337 Reporter; a co-chair of the International Trade Committee of the Federal Circuit Bar Association; a vice chair of the ITC Committee of the Intellectual Property Owners Association; and a vice chair of the Trademark Committee of the D.C. Bar’s Intellectual Property Section. She is also a contributor to the book entitled A Lawyer’s Guide to Section 337 Investigations Before the U.S. International Trade Commission, as well as the “Year in Review,” published in The International Lawyer by the American Bar Association Section of International Law. Prior to joining Alston & Bird, Ms. Underwood was a partner at Adduci, Mastriani & Schaumberg LLP.
"We are pleased to add Jamie to our roster of tried and true ITC experts," said Richard Hays, managing partner of Alston & Bird. "Offering more than a decade of ITC experience, she is a visible and well-credentialed specialist in these unique and popular proceedings. Many of our high-stakes patent litigation clients prefer the ITC for the known speed and unique nature of the resolutions, and we know that Jamie will only add strength to this practice. We are excited to have her as a member of the firm."
In addition to her practice before the ITC, Underwood has litigation experience in federal trial and appellate courts, where she has handled a variety of disputes involving trademarks, trade dress, trade secrets, unfair trade practices, patents, antitrust and complex commercial matters. She has also provided pro bono representation in political asylum, employment discrimination and appellate procedure cases before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ms. Underwood received her J.D., magna cum laude, from American University, after which she clerked for The Honorable Frank Q. Nebeker, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and for The Honorable Truman A. Morrison III of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and is conversant in German.
International Trade Commission Section 337 Practice
Alston & Bird’s Section 337 team combines seasoned intellectual property trial lawyers, many of whom have advanced degrees in the electronic, chemical, mechanical and biotech arts, with litigators skilled in the ITC’s procedures. Calling upon the skills of our Washington-based International Trade and Regulatory Group and the firm’s 180 IP lawyers, Alston & Bird is capable of handling Section 337 investigations of any magnitude, in any technology. Our proven track record of winning Section 337 investigations tried before the Commission's Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) has garnered us a significant reputation for success. In 2010, Alston & Bird had more appearances as lead counsel in Section 337 patent cases than any other law firm.