Andrew P. Connors is a leading intellectual property and business lawyer in Virginia. He has been practicing since 2010 and has extensive experience in business law, intellectual property, contracts, and related civil litigation. In 2016, Andrew founded Darkhorse Attorneys as a way of providing business owners with the straightforward legal representation and counsel they need to turn great ideas into thriving enterprises. He previously worked for a business and IP firm in Blacksburg, Virginia and was a judicial law clerk at the Court of Appeals of Virginia. Before attending law school, Andrew was a software developer at Sapient, a large, publicly traded government consulting firm, where he worked on software projects with the Marine Corps and FBI.

 

Since his licensure in 2010, he has represented clients in a wide variety of matters pertaining to intellectual property, business formation, business disputes, contracts, and related litigation and appeals. He has represented litigants in a variety of intellectual property, business, and contract disputes in both state and federal court. He has been recognized as a Rising Star by Virginia Super Lawyers Magazine every year from 2013-2022 in the areas of appeals, business litigation, and intellectual property. Virginia Business Magazine also named him as part of its Legal Elite in 2017 and 2019 for Intellectual Property.

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Mr. Connors teaches classes in Intellectual Property, Trademarks, Mediation, and first year legal research and writing at Liberty University School of Law. He is also the Director of the school’s Intellectual Property Clinic. He is a graduate of Liberty University School of Law and the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science.

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Mr. Connors’ principle specialty is intellectual property law. He has taught intellectual property law at Liberty University School of Law for several years, along with several other courses that help him hone his skills as a litigator in state and federal court.

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As a litigator, Mr. Connors has represented business clients in a variety of matters, including:

• Trademark, service mark, trade dress, and unfair competition disputes

• Cancellation, opposition, and other proceedings at the United States Patent and Trademark Office

• Copyright infringement, trade secret, and right of publicity (name and likeness) disputes

• Breach of service contracts, breach of fiduciary duties, fraud, and other disputes involving business torts

• Breach of contracts relating to the sales of goods, technology transactions, software development, and intellectual property licensing 

• Partnership disputes, business divorces, and other disputes involving corporate bylaws, shareholders agreements, and operating agreements

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He also has significant experience counseling business clients, drafting business documents, and representing business clients in various business transactions.

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He has helped all kinds of businesses including technology companies, software developers, attorneys, doctors, contractors, restaurants, insurance agents, retail stores, e-commerce websites, and online content creators. He has also helped websites defend against Americans with Disabilities Act troll litigation.