Elizabeth D. Ferrill

Associate

Beth Ferrill is a registered patent attorney with a background in computer science. Her practice includes primarily utility and design patent litigation and design patent prosecution. Currently, she focuses on litigation at the U.S. district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in the areas of software- and hardware- related technologies and design patents.

Beyond her patent practice, Ms. Ferrill devotes a portion of her time to pro bono matters. She has represented criminal defendants in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the Virginia Supreme Court. She has also worked extensively on behalf of military veterans before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In addition, Ms. Ferrill serves as the co-chairperson for the firm’s Women’s Forum.

Before beginning her legal career, Ms. Ferrill graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served five years on active duty as a communications officer. Initially, she was stationed at Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C., coordinating and overseeing testing of joint intelligence software systems. She also served at Thule Air Base, Greenland, as the flight commander in charge of base communications.

Highlights

• Served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Liam O'Grady at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, 2006-2007.
• Served as the publication editor for the North Carolina Journal of Law and Technology. Continues to serve on the journal’s Board of Advisors, 2007-present. 
• President of the UNC Law Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) organization.
• Serves as member, Board of Directors, Community Tax Aid, Inc., 2007-present.
• Served, while in law school, as a judicial intern for the Honorable Paul Michel, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, summer 2005.

Professional Activities

• American Bar Association (Industry Design Committee)
• American Intellectual Property Law Association
• Intellectual Property Owners Association (Industrial Designs Committee)

Select Publications

• Coauthor. Veterans Appeals Guidebook: Representing Veterans in the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, ABA Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, 2013.
• Coauthor. "Avoiding the Remedy Dilemma in Enforcing Design Patents," Law360, March 5, 2013.
• "Protecting the Material World: The Role of Design Patents in the Fashion Industry," North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology, Spring 2011.
• "Clearing the Swamp for Intellectual Property Harmonization: Understanding and Appreciating the Barriers to Full TRIPS Compliance for Industrializing and Non-Industrialized Countries," University of Baltimore Intellectual Property Law Journal, Spring 2007.
• "Patent Investments Trusts: Let's Build a PIT to Catch the Patent Trolls," North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology, Spring 2005.