Beverly A. Berneman

OVERVIEW

Beverly Berneman protects creativity. As Chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group at Golan Christie Taglia, Beverly works with clients to protect their valuable intangible assets in the form of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. In working with her clients, she also considers how that intellectual property fits in with their business operations internally and in the marketplace.

Beverly provides clients the best legal advice possible based on a deep understanding of their business and their goals in order to deliver ‘tailored’ legal services that protect their assets.

Recognizing that the creative parts of a business are also the foundation of the value of a business, her approach emphasizes taking action sooner rather than later. Beverly encourages clients to protect their creativity before outside forces erode or interfere with their value. As a result, her legal services add actual and quantifiable value to her clients’ businesses.

Beverly focuses her practice in the following areas:

• Intellectual property rights counseling and protection
• Intellectual property licensing and transactions
• Business consultation
• Litigation and dispute resolution
• Business reorganization and bankruptcy

In addition to Beverly’s intellectual property practice, she has extensive experience in business reorganizations. Her dual experience with bankruptcy law and intellectual property law uniquely positions her to help financially troubled businesses whose primary assets are intellectual property.

Beverly regularly publishes on her blog “IP News for Your Business” on current court decisions and changes in the law of Intellectual Property that may impact a business.

Beverly has written and spoken at seminars, meetings and conventions about bankruptcy and intellectual property issues, including Deepening Insolvency: A New Cause of Action against Directors and Officers; The UCC Toolbox; Hot Topics in Secure Transactions and Intellectual Property; Intellectual Property and Bankruptcy; Ten Things Every Intellectual Property Practitioner Should Know about Secured Transactions; Navigating the Bankruptcy Waters in a Domain Name Rowboat; and Caveat Trade Secret Misappropriation Debts. Beverly co-authored, Choppy Waters; Navigating the Intersection of Bankruptcy and Intellectual Property published by the American Bankruptcy Institute.

From 2003 to 2018, Beverly taught Bankruptcy and Intellectual Property at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Law (formerly The John Marshall School of Law). Beverly has also appeared as a guest lecturer for business and intellectual property classes offered by the Chicago-Kent School of Law.

Prior to joining GCT, Beverly served as chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group at Querrey & Harrow, Ltd. and was Managing Partner of Benjamin, Berneman & Brom, LLC.

Beverly enjoys traveling, reading, going to the movies and attending live theater. She recently started taking piano lessons after a long hiatus and enjoys reawakening a skill that has long been dormant.

EDUCATION

• The John Marshall Law School, LLM, Intellectual Property, with honors, 2003
• Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D., with honors, 1985
• University of Boulder, Colorado, B.A. in Theater, with honors, 1977

BAR ADMISSIONS

• Illinois, 1985

COURT ADMISSIONS

• U.S. Supreme Court
• Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
• State of Illinois
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

American Bankruptcy Institute
American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section
Chicago Bar Association
Copyright Society of the USA

• Chair, Midwest Chapter, 2009-2011
• Trustee, 2005-2007
• Chair, Midwest Chapter, 2004-2006
• Vice-Chair, Midwest Chapter, 2002-2003

Elite Lawyers Network
Illinois State Bar Association (Member of the Intellectual Property Council)
Lawyers Connecting
Lawyers for Creative Arts
Trusted Advisors Counsel

TEACHING & PRESENTATIONS

• Adjunct Professor John Marshall School of Law – 2003 to Present
• Intellectual Property Licensing and ROI: Corporate IP Conference, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, February 2008
• Music Artists Beware: New York State Bank Association Music Business Law Seminar, October 2008
• Copyright, Permissions, and International Piracy: Cadmus Communications Publishing Conference, May 2010
• Parody; Understanding Parody’s Place in Copyright Law: Copyright Law, Practicing Law Institute, May 2010
• Protecting Your Stuff: WindyCon, October 2010
• Google Book Project – Putting it in Perspective: Chicago Association of Law Libraries, May 2011
• Handling IP Asset Issues in the Distressed Small Business: American Bankruptcy Institute, Spring 2012

ABA Journal 100 Best Legal Blawgs: Tenth Annual Honoree
Leading Lawyers (2010 to present)
Super Lawyers (2020-present)

HONORS & AWARDS

• ABA Journal 100 Best Legal Blawgs: Tenth Annual Honoree
• Leading Lawyers (2010 to present)
• Super Lawyers (2020-present)
• 100 Best Legal Blawgs (American Bar Association)
• Leading Lawyer (2010-present)
• Illinois Super Lawyer (2020-present)

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• Pro Bono legal services for small regional theater companies
• The Butterfly Project