James F. McKeown holds a Master of Laws Degree in Patents and Trade Regulation from the George Washington University awarded in 1974, as well as a Juris Doctor degree from Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America awarded in 1970. He is also a 1965 graduate of the City College of New York, where he received a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree.

After serving as a Production Supervisor at Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, New Jersey, he worked as a Patent Examiner in the U.S. Patent Office from 1966 to 1968, served as a patent agent from 1968 to 1970, and has practiced law in Washington, D.C. since 1970, concentrating in intellectual property law and related trade matters. Jim has extensive experience in the litigation of intellectual property and other matters before federal agencies, including the International Trade Commission, and in the federal courts, has authored articles in the field of intellectual property law and was a contributing author of Federal Circuit Patent Law Decisions published by the Federal Litigation Committee of the American Intellectual Property Law Association.

Jim is a former President and former Treasurer of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia, and a former Chair of its Patent, Trademark and Copyright Section. He is also a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association where he formerly served as Co-Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, the Federal Circuit Bar Association where he served on its Board and again serves as a Co-Chair of its Amicus Committee after a 2-year term on that Association's Board of Directors, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He is a member of the American Bar Association where he has served in the House of Delegates, and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Intellectual Property Law Section's Ethics and Responsibility Committee, and is a member of The Counsellors. He is a volunteer mediator in the Dispute Resolution Program of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He is also a volunteer arbitrator for the Attorney/Client Arbitration Board of the District of Columbia Bar and formerly served as an ACAB Board member. He is currently serving on the Trademark Office Practice (U.S.) Committee for the Intellectual Property Owners Association. Jim has been President of the Law Alumni Society of the Columbus School of Law where he currently serves on the Board of Visitors.

Jim is admitted to practice before the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims where he has provided pro bono representation for the Veterans Consortium. He is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and is a member of the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court and various federal courts, as well as the bars of the District of Columbia and Virginia.

Education
City College of New York, B.S.M.E., 1965
Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, J.D., 1970
George Washington University Law School, LL.M., 1974

Affiliations
Admitted to practice: District of Coumbia, Virginia

Publications
"Claim Drafting Strategies Revisited -- How Much, If Any, Preamble Is Necessary?," Intellectual Property Today (April 2004). Author: James F. McKeown.

"Claim Drafting Strategies Revisited -- Is the Single Sentence Rule Too Inflexible?," Intellectual Property Today (August 2003). Author: James F. McKeown.