Role in South Florida’s Business Community: In addition to his service with the Florida Bar, Mr. Thornburg is very involved in the South Florida business and creative communities. He is a past trustee of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, where he served on the Technology & Bioscience Committee.

Robert also participates in BioFlorida’s Southeast chapter activities to advance the field of biotechnology and life sciences in South Florida.

Mr. Thornburg serves as President Elect of the University of Florida Law Alumni Council.

Service as an Expert Witness: Robert has also been tapped as a testifying expert in complex patent infringement disputes – including in the recent West Palm Beach case Nature’s Earth v. Planetwise in the Southern District of Florida.

He has also served as a consulting expert in multiple trademark infringement lawsuits, including the use and role of objective evidence as to the issues of secondary meaning and likelihood of consumer confusion. This includes Robert’s role as a rebuttal trademark expert as to the development and use of trademark survey experts.

Speaking Experience: Mr. Thornburg is an active lecturer on topics relating to intellectual property and electronic discovery and has served as a visiting lecturer at the University of Florida College of Law, Florida State University College of Law, and the University of Notre Dame College of Engineering. He also has participated in various panels, including Thomson LegalWorks’ 2006 A-Z Electronic Discovery in Miami. While in law school, he served as Vice-Chair of the Moot Court Board, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Technology Law & Policy, and President of the Florida Intellectual Property Law Association.

Recognition:
South Florida Legal Guide, Up and Comer, Intellectual Property Law (2013-2016)
Best Lawyers in America (2013-2017)
Florida Super Lawyers (2009 – 2016)
The Daily Business Review, Rising Stars (2013)
Florida Trend Legal Elite, Up and Comers (2010 & 2012)
40 Under 40 Outstanding Attorneys of Miami-Dade County, 2009

Publications: Mr. Thornburg has authored the following publications:
Electronic Discovery in Florida, The Florida Bar Journal, Vol. 80, No. 9 (October 2006)

Trade Secrets in the Digital Age, ABA SciTech Law Journal, Vol. 3, Issue 1 (May 2006)

Trademark Survey Evidence: Review of Current Trends in the Ninth Circuit, 21 Santa Clara Comp. & High Tech. L. J. 715 (2005)

Choice of Law in International Copyright: The Split of Authority Between the Second and Ninth Circuits Regarding Extraterritorial Application of the Copyright Act, 10 J. Tech. L. &Pol’y 23 (2005)

L.L.M. Dissertation, Trademark Surveys: Development of Computer Based Survey Methods, 3 J. Marshall Rev. Intellectual P. L. (2004)

Stadium Naming Rights: An Assessment of the Contract and Trademark Issues Inherent to Both Professional and Collegiate Stadiums, 2 VA. Sports &Ent. L.J. 328 (2003)

Florida Privacy Law: Application of Intentional Tort Principles and Florida’s Right to Privacy as Safeguards to Private Dissemination of Private Information, 4 Fla. Coastal L.J. 139 (2003)

The Impact of Copyright Law on Distance Education Programs: How Fair Use and the CONFU Guidelines May Shape the Future of Academia, 27 S. Ill U.L.J. 321 (2003)