“It is an honor to be selected among the many outstanding women legal professionals recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business,” DePriest said. “This is a community with a deep bench of very accomplished women lawyers who make significant contributions to our profession every day. I am proud that my work at Reed Smith places me among them.”
A partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Group, DePriest is a highly regarded trial lawyer and litigator whose practice is focused on serving key firm clients in bet-the-company disputes involving trade secret misappropriation, patent and trademark infringement, and unfair competition.
DePriest’s successes include obtaining a high-profile jury verdict in California’s Superior Court – a $66 million damages award and a worldwide permanent injunction for a leading LED manufacturer in a hotly contested trade secret misappropriation case. In 2023, she bolstered the Intellectual Property Group’s record of victories by obtaining significant sanctions awards on behalf of a leading multinational manufacturer of medical imaging equipment in high-stakes IP matters in federal district court.
“Jen is an IP rock star,” said Peter J. Chassman, firmwide chair of Reed Smith’s Intellectual Property Group. “We are delighted that Crain’s Chicago Business has selected her for this well-deserved recognition. She is a great asset to our group, the firm, and her community.”
In addition to leading the firm’s Chicago office, DePriest serves on its Global Pro Bono Committee and served as co-chair of the Chicago Pro Bono Committee for many years. DePriest has helped numerous refugees obtain asylum or other legal status in the United States in conjunction with the Chicago-based National Immigrant Justice Center.
After earning her J.D. in 2000 summa cum laude from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, DePriest joined Sachnoff & Weaver, which combined with Reed Smith in 2007.