Russell Tonkovich
Partner
Dr. Russell Tonkovich is an experienced trial lawyer with more than two decades of experience litigating complex patent infringement. He is the Co-Chair of the firm’s Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences Practice and has decades of experience litigating diverse technologies including DNA arrays and sequencing, computer architecture, semiconductor design and fabrication, memory architecture, user interface technologies, LED design and fabrication, cellular and Wi-Fi functionality, and optical networking technologies.
Russell is a leading appellate advocate who has won positive results for clients at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, including the University of Michigan. Russell is also a nationally recognized patent litigator who has won verdicts in some of the largest patent infringement cases in the country. Russell, along with the team at Alberti Lim, won a $172.6 million jury verdict of willful infringement against Micro Focus Corp., a Hewlett-Packard spin-off company. This resounding victory was the largest jury verdict in the history of the Sherman Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
In 2023, he was selected as among the top 50 best performing and most active patent litigation attorneys in the United States, according to Patexia’s 2023 Patent Litigation Intelligence Report, for his work during the period 2017 through 2022. Russell successfully leads patent litigation teams to success at trial in district courts, the International Trade Commission, and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. and the PTAB, and has achieved significant settlements for his clients.
Russell is licensed to practice before the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). He regularly represents clients in inter partes reviews and ex parte reviews associated with ongoing litigation. Russell has also served as the co-chair of the American Bar Association Intellectual Property Litigation Committee’s Section 112 Subcommittee.
Beyond litigation, Russell works with clients with respect to the valuation and diligence of patent portfolios. He further advises clients on monetization strategies in connection with litigation, licensing programs, and acquisitions.
Prior to joining Alberti Lim, Russell worked at Wilmer Hale and Kirkland & Ellis as a patent litigator.
Represented pioneering video on demand and content management technology company, BBiTV, in three consolidated 5-patent cases.
Represented Polaris in a patent infringement litigation involving automatic brightness control technology implemented in Samsung mobile phones and televisions.
Harvard Law School
Medical Doctor (M.D.)
University of Illinois
Bachelor of Science (with Honors), Biochemistry
University of Wisconsin-Madison
N.D. California
C.D. California
S.D. California
E.D. California
E.D. Texas
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Registered to practice before the USPTO
W.D. Texas
N.D. California
C.D. California
International Trade Commission
District of Delaware
International Trade Commission
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit