John Shonkwiler
PRACTICE CONCENTRATION
- Business Torts
- Commercial Litigation
- Intellectual Property
- Real Estate
BIOGRAPHY
John F. Shonkwiler represents clients in complex commercial litigation matters, including contract actions, business torts, partnership disputes and intellectual property issues.
John was a member of the team that successfully represented Night Vision Corporation (“NVC”), inventors of a “Panoramic Night Vision Goggle” that the U. S. Air Force hailed as a revolutionary piece of military equipment. The goggles provided pilots with more than double the field of vision of the old systems, while also enhancing safety. According to NVC's suit, the Air Force was on the verge of awarding NVC a contract to produce thousands of goggles when NVC’s chief subcontractor misappropriated the technology and ultimately wrested the contract away from NVC. John was involved in all aspects of the case, from drafting pleadings through the trial preparations. Significantly, John prepared a partial summary judgment motion on a key issue in the case that was successful and helped lead to a settlement the night before the jury trial was to begin in federal court in Virginia.
John also recently defended PFE International (“PFE”), a leading manufacturer and international distributor of folder/inserter machines, against patent and trademark infringement claims brought by one of PFE’s principal competitors. The case was tried in federal court in Chicago, where John and Andrew Fleming won a complete victory for the client. Immediately following Plaintiffs’ case-in-chief, PFE moved for judgment on all counts. The court fully absolved PFE, granting the motion and finding that Plaintiffs had failed to produce sufficient evidence of any act of infringement by PFE.
Chicago Magazine (February 2008) recognized John as a "Rising Star," and one of the Top Young Commercial Litigation Attorneys in Illinois. John is a member of the Chicago and American Bar Associations.
John is Novack and Macey's Hiring Partner, and a member of the firm's Marketing Committee.
John was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1970, and now lives with his wife and their two children in Flossmoor, Illinois.
EDUCATION
- University of Michigan (B.A. 1992)
- University of Illinois College of Law (J.D. 1998) Magna Cum Laude; topics editor for the University of Illinois Law Review
BAR ADMISSIONS
- Illinois
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- United States District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois
SPEECHES AND PUBLICATIONS
- “Trademark Infringement/Dilution,” Illinois Causes of Action—Elements, Forms & Winning Tips, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2002
- Recent Decisions Commentary, Illinois Bar Journal (June 1998), 86 Ill.B.J. 345
REPRESENTATIVE CASES
- C/F Intern., Inc. v. Payne, No. 06 C 1329, 2006 WL 2290992 (N.D. Ill. Aug 3, 2006)
- Neopost Industrie B.V. v. PFE Intern., Inc, 403 F.Supp. 2d 669 (N.D. Ill. 2005)
- Griffith v. Wood Bros., No. 04 C 3118, 2004 WL 2418296 (N.D. Ill. Oct 27, 2004)
- Pentech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Par Pharmaceutical, Inc., No. 04 C 3149, 2004 WL 2390088 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 21, 2004)