Patent Counsel of the Navy
John L. Forrest Jr.
John L. Forrest, Jr. was awarded his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering "With Great Distinction"
in 1968 by Clarkson College of Technology (Now Clarkson University) in Potsdam, New York.
After receiving his undergraduate degree, he worked for a number of years in various engineering
positions with Bell Telephone Laboratories and the General Electric Company. In 1977 Mr. Forrest
received his J.D. from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.
After four years of private patent law practice, Mr. Forrest joined the former Navy Patent
Organization in 1981 where he worked on a variety of Navy intellectual property law matters at the
Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR). While at ONR he served as
Chair of the ONR Equal Employment Opportunity Committee and the ONR Middle Management Council. In
1986 he was appointed to the position of Associate Counsel (Patents) at NRL. From 1987 to 1996,
Mr. Forrest served as Associate Counsel (Intellectual Property) and Director of the Intellectual
Property Law Division of the Office of Counsel, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). He received a
Meritorious Civilian Service Award for his efforts on behalf of NAVAIR. From 1996 to 2006, Mr.
Forrest served as Associate Counsel for Intellectual Property, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock
Division (NSWCCD). In 2006, he was awarded the NSWCCD Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper Award, an annual
award recognizing organizational support. From 2006 to 2009, Mr. Forrest was the Associate Counsel
and Intellectual Property Law Section Head at the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) where he supervised
a three attorney staff providing full Intellectual Property legal support to a major Navy procurement
activity. In addition, he provided oversight for 13 IP attorneys in seven NAVSEA field offices. In 2009,
Mr. Forrest became the Patent Counsel of the Navy with responsibility for all Intellectual Property
matters within the Department of the Navy.
Mr. Forrest is a member of the Louisiana and District of Columbia bars and is registered
to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He holds memberships in
a variety of organizations including Eta Kappa Nu national electrical engineering
honorary fraternity, Tau Beta Pi national engineering honorary fraternity, American
Intellectual Property Law Association, Government Intellectual Property Law Association,
Porsche Club of America, and the American Radio Relay League.