Charles (“Chip”) Mottier is a 1978 graduate from the General Engineering Department. Chip’s secondary field was Operations Research/Business, but he also pursued interests in Russian literature, the French language and classical music. Within the GE Department, he was guided by Prof. Harrison Streeter, himself a lawyer and engineer, and through Prof. Streeter Chip was introduced to opportunities in patent law.
Chip then attended law school and secured a 2L summer clerkship with the predecessor of Leydig, Voit & Mayer, Ltd. At the end of his summer clerkship, Chip was offered a full-time position as an associate attorney. Early last month Chip celebrated 43 years with Leydig.
During his legal career, Chip developed broad-based expertise in patent litigation, mediation, arbitration, patent drafting and prosecution, and licensing. Chip also taught intellectual property law at the University of Illinois. Chip chaired the recruiting and professional development committees at Leydig for many years, developed the firm’s diversity initiatives, and was a longstanding member of the firm’s governing board. In 2019 Chip was asked to again lead the firm’s recruiting efforts. He currently serves as chair of the recruiting and conflict committees at the firm.
For the past 25 years, Chip has been deeply involved with not-for-profits, initially related to his interest in 20th Century Japanese prints. He has developed expertise in the governance of not-for-profit corporations and currently serves on the boards of The Arts Club of Chicago, The Committee on the Arts of Asia at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Alliance Française, among others. Chip will speak to the value of these affiliations.
Chip will also talk about experiences he had at the University that have proven to be particularly valuable and significant, and will offer insights on how to prepare for and navigate law school.
