Intellectual Property

Published November 30, 2015 by Virginia Business

Stephen Edward Noona

Kaufman & Canoles PC
Norfolk

Title: Equity partner
Birthplace: Norfolk
Education: University of Virginia, bachelor’s degree with high distinction, Phi Beta Kappa; University of Virginia School of Law, law degree, Dillard Fellow.
Spouse: Louise Ann Noona
Children: Sean Wesley Noona
Hobbies or pastimes: Outside of my family and the law, I am passionate about saltwater fly fishing.  I have traveled the globe, from the Caribbean to Venezuela, from the Pacific Ocean’s Christmas Island to the South Indian Ocean’s St. Brandon’s Atoll in search of bonefish, permit, tarpon and other shallow water game fish on fly.
First job as a lawyer: I have worked my entire 30-year legal career as a trial lawyer at Kaufman & Canoles; I turned down jobs in New York, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere in Virginia to join Kaufman and to practice where I grew up.  I now manage the firm’s Trial Section and the Intellectual Property Practice Group.
Fan of: All University of Virginia sports, particularly Virginia lacrosse, basketball and swimming.
Favorite vacation spot: St. Brandon’s Atoll, South Indian Ocean
Recently read book: “Mind Beyond Death” by Dzogchen Ponlop
Career mentors: Former Assistant U.S. Attorney, and now my partner, Hunter W. Sims Jr.  I came to Kaufman to work for Hunter Sims in Federal Court trial practice.  Because of Hunter, I have had the opportunity to try a lot of jury trials, which led to my induction as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.
What emerging trends are you seeing in intellectual property law?
With the emergence of the computer and global competition, the importance of protecting IP has grown exponentially over my 30-year career.  What once constituted a highly specialized area of law has burgeoned into an indispensable tool for all businesses. Because Supreme Court rulings over this period have constantly reshaped the legal landscape, trial skills and a knowledge of both substantive and procedural law unique to this area are crucial. This is especially true within the procedurally challenging “rocket docket” of the Eastern District of Virginia.