Denise Seastone Kraft
Attorney
For over 30 years, Denise Kraft has been providing focused advice and proposing strategies that are sound while representing clients before Delaware and Pennsylvania state and federal courts on issues involving business disputes, including intellectual property litigation and complex commercial litigation.
Denise Seastone Kraft is the Business Litigation ranked Super Lawyer and Chambers USA-rated patent litigation partner who leads the firm’s commercial litigation and intellectual property litigation practice in Delaware, and has experience representing and counseling companies in a broad range of commercial litigation cases, including patent litigation, copyright, trademark, trade secret and false advertising litigation cases involving computer software, cloud services, mobile phones, video game animation, automotive, consumer electronics, sports equipment, digital signage, targeted internet advertising, e-commerce, computer security, website, and other computer and Internet technologies.
Chambers USA recognizes Denise as “a well-known IP attorney”, who clients have described as “thoughtful and wise about how to approach the local judiciary on any given issue.” Chambers USA “ranks the top lawyers and law firms” across the USA (recognized since 2012)
Denise speaks, writes and comments frequently about matters involving Delaware patent litigation, Chairs the ABA Business Law Section’s Patent Litigation Subcommittee of the Business and Corporate Litigation Committee while also Vice-Chairing the Business and Corporate Litigation Committee, is a Fellow of the ABA’s American Bar Foundation, completed two terms as a Delaware Supreme Court appointed member of the Delaware Board of Bar Examiners (2013-2018), and currently a member of three Boards, the American Counsel Association (ACA), Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union (FMFCU) and Jobs for Delaware Graduates (JDG).
Education
- Harvard Business School Executive Education, Harvard Leadership Program (2013)
- The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, J.D. (1985-1988)
- Dean’s Cup Moot Court Competition Finalist
- West Virginia Wesleyan College, B.A., Political Science (1981-1985)
- Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges
Admissions
- Delaware State Courts
- Pennsylvania State Courts
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- United States District Court for the District of Delaware
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
- United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
Memberships/Associations
- American Bar Foundation, Fellow. The ABF is an honorary organization of lawyers, judges, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession. Membership is limited to one percent of the lawyers in each state (selected 2015)
- American Bar Association, Business Law Section
- Vice Chair, Business and Corporate Litigation Committee (2019-Present)
- Chair, Patent Litigation Subcommittee of the Business and Corporate Litigation Committee (2018-Present); past Vice Chair (2015-2017)
- Advisor to the ABA Business Law Section’s Task Force on labor trafficking that is tasked with implementing the “black letter” Model Principles of the ABA Model Business and Supplier Policies on Labor Trafficking and Child Labor (2014-2016)
- Co-Chair of the Business and Corporate Litigation Committee Working Group on the Preparation of Business Conduct Standards Directed to the Eradication of Forced Labor in Supply Chains, which resulted in the adoption of ABA Resolution 102B in 2014 (ABA Model Business and Supplier Policies on Labor Trafficking and Child Labor) (2012 – 2014)
- Chair of the Corporate Counseling and Litigation Subcommittee of the Business and Corporate Litigation Committee (2011 – 2012), past Vice Chair (2008 – 2011)
- Delaware Federal Bar Association, Member, Intellectual Property Law Section
- Delaware State Bar Association, Member, Commercial Law Section, Intellectual Property Section and Civil Litigation Section
Publications/Media
Media Mentions
- “3 Takeaways From Delaware’s TC Heartland Venue Guidance,” Law360(September 18, 2017)
- “Unanswered Question in ‘TC Heartland’ Could Have Big Impact in Del.,” Delaware Business Court Insider (May 24, 2017)
- “Delaware Primed For IP Case Bump Despite Bench Vacancies,” Law360 (May 22, 2017)
Publications
- Author, “District of Delaware assigns 4 visiting judges to fill vacancies, tackle post-TC Heartland filings”, DLA Piper Intellectual Property and Technology Alert(June 2017)
- Author, “TC Heartland Paves Road To ‘The Delaware Way’,”Law360(May 24, 2017)
- Paper prepared in conjunction with presentation as a panelist for the AIPLA – IPP Europe CLE Panel on “Specialty Patent Courts In Europe And Comparison With US Proceedings” (October 22, 2015)
- Co-Author and Co-Editor of Chapter 8 (Corporate Law), “Annual Review of Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation 2012 Edition,” ABA Business Section Committee on Business and Corporate Litigation
Presentations and Seminars
- Presented “Practical and Effective Cost Containment in Patent Litigation,” for the AIPLA Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (October 27, 2016)
- Presented as a panelist for “Specialty Patent Courts In Europe And Comparison With US Proceedings,” for the AIPLA – IPP Europe CLE, Washington, DC (October 22, 2015)
- Presented as a panelist for the “8th Annual Women in IP Law Luncheon,” Association of Corporate Counsel San Francisco Bay Area Chapter and Leading Women in Technology, Palo Alto, California (September 17, 2014)
- Panelist, “6th Annual Women in IP Law Luncheon,” Association of Corporate Counsel San Francisco Bay Area Chapter and Leading Women in Technology, Palo Alto, California (September 27, 2012)
- Course planner and panelist, “2012 Annual Review of Developments in Business and Corporations, Corporate Law Update Panel,” American Bar Association, Section of Business Law Spring Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada (March 22, 2012)
Board Postions
Current Board Positions
- American Counsel Association (ACA), Board of Directors. The ACA works closely with the leadership of the American Bar Association (ABA) to enhance standards of practice, aid deserving law students, and provide a social and business network for its distinguished members (appointed 2019)
- Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union (FMFCU), Board of Directors, Executive Committee. With over $1 billion in assets, FMFCU has provided financial services to the greater Philadelphia area since 1970 (appointed 2018)
- Jobs for Delaware Graduates (JDG), Board of Directors. JDG is a charitable organization supported by the Governor of Delaware with a mission to enable disadvantaged students to achieve academic, personal and career success (appointed 2016)
Past Board Positions
- Board of Bar Examiners of the Delaware Supreme Court, Member. Appointed by the Delaware Supreme Court to two consecutive Board terms (served 2013-2018)
Recognitions
- Recognized as a 2021 Super Lawyer in the area of Delaware Business Litigation. The Super Lawyers selection process involves independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.
- Firm-wide Partner recipient of the DLA Piper Professional Development Award for associate mentoring (2014)
- Chambers USA recognizes Denise as “a well-known IP attorney”, who clients have described as “thoughtful and wise about how to approach the local judiciary on any given issue.” “Sources name[d] her ‘a good lawyer, a good litigator’ and ‘very responsive’.” Chambers USA “ranks the top lawyers and law firms” across the USA(recognized since 2012)
- IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners 2019, named Denise as 1 of the 34 top global patent practitioners from 9 countries in the DLA Piper Intellectual Property practice group, and described her as a lawyer who has “plenty of trial experience – in 2017 alone, she handled three IP jury trials in Delaware. She knows local rules and practices well and is a thorough strategist.” Additional past comments noted that her “24/7 commitment to clients has won her a fanatical following: she is a ‘very responsive and knowledgeable counsel’ and her “well-reasoned argumentation and eloquent presentational skills are in high demand.”IAM identifies leading professionals based on 1,800 interviews with lawyers and in-house counsel to determine those with “exceptional skill sets and profound insights into patent matters”(recognized since 2013)
Pro Bono
- Assist with Federal Civil Panel pro bono cases
- Successfully worked with numerous US military veterans to complete and submit Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) applications and supporting briefs (2012-2016)