Jonathan L.A. Phillips

Jonathan is a litigator. He handles intellectual property disputes, internet law matters, and utility, energy, matters. And he has been doing it long enough to know that the strategy built on day one usually determines how everything else plays out. He founded Phillips & Bathke, P.C.

He litigates in federal trial and appellate courts across the United States, before the USPTO, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, WIPO, the Illinois Commerce Commission, and arbitration panels including AAA, JAMS, and FINRA. He appears in Illinois state courts at every level. If a dispute touches IP, technology, or energy, he has probably been in that room.

He also helps clients build and protect what they own: patents, trademarks, copyrights, and the portfolios that hold them together.

He stays ahead of developing areas of law. The rise of data centers, the intersection of artificial intelligence and intellectual property, and Schedule A enforcement against foreign e-commerce sellers are areas. His practice is built around what is coming, not what was. His clients range from solo inventors and early-stage startups to established companies. Those clients range from technology providers, to e-commerce and retail, food and beverage, arts and entertainment, healthcare, and even other legal professionals.

Jonathan studied chemistry at Bradley University before earning his J.D. and a certificate in intellectual property law from DePaul University College of Law. He teaches Intellectual Property and the Entrepreneur at Bradley, because understanding how IP functions inside a business matters as much as knowing the doctrine.

He was a founding board member of Startup Peoria and stays active in Illinois' startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Outside the office, he travels when he can, is reliably outmaneuvered by his dog, and serves on the Springfield Cemetery Historical Preservation Board.