Manuel (Manny) Franco is an Associate at McAndrews, where he specializes in patent and trademark litigation. He has experience in pre-suit investigations and assessment, motion practice, discovery, inter partes reviews, and post-grant reviews. His technical background covers a variety of areas, including industrial technology, mechanical devices, surgical equipment, and medical devices.

Manny has experience representing clients in complex patent and trademark litigation matters. He has represented clients in federal courts and before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Manny’s experience includes initiating and responding to lawsuits, as well as guiding clients through every stage of the discovery process. He has led the preparation, taking, and defense of witnesses, including corporate designees, in numerous depositions, and has successfully argued key motions in federal district court. He also advises clients on noninfringement and invalidity concerns.

Manny graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he was selected as a Health Law Fellow by the Beazley Institute for Health Law and Policy. While in law school, Manny served as a judicial extern at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, where he worked on a patent matter involving two-way radios. He also served as the technical publication editor for Loyola’s Annals of Health Law and Life Sciences, through which he published the note, “Treading Lightly: Reversing the Exclusion of DACA Recipients from Federally Subsidized Healthcare Insurance.” Manny’s accomplishments also include serving as an associate blogger for “IP Bytes,” Loyola’s Intellectual Property blog, serving as a board member for the Intellectual Property Law Society, and earning CALI awards for the highest grade in his Legal Writing and Electronic Discovery classes. While completing law school, Manny worked at McAndrews as a summer associate.

Prior to law school, Manny attended the University of Mississippi, where he received his B.E. in General Engineering, magna cum laude, with minors in Biology and Chemistry. Manny is also fluent in spoken and written Spanish and maintains his language proficiency through pro bono work at the firm. Manny currently serves on the board of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois (HLAI).