Allen J. Hoover was well known and highly respected in the legal community before his life was cut short by a bullet. Hoover was the victim of a shooting rampage at his Chicago firm in December 2006. His dedication to patent and intellectual property law, however, will endure through the Allen J. Hoover Memorial Award, which will be given to students studying intellectual property law at DePaul University College of Law. Hoover earned his law degree from DePaul in 1965.

Funded by the Hoover family and the law firm of Wood, Phillips, Katz, Clark & Mortimer, where Hoover was a partner, the $5,000 award will be given to a third-year DePaul law student who is expected to make the greatest contribution to the practice of intellectual property law as determined by the school. Awarded near the conclusion of the student’s academic career, the money can be used at the awardee’s discretion. Initial funding will allow one student to earn the award annually for the next five academic years.

“My family thought this was the natural thing to do,” said Hoover’s son, Allen E. Hoover, who also is an intellectual property lawyer practicing in Chicago. “DePaul trained my father and got him started in the field of IP law, and today it continues to train the best and brightest lawyers of tomorrow. The award will help others remember my father and his legacy as an IP lawyer. It is a mark of distinction that will follow its recipients throughout their careers.”

The IP program at DePaul has consistently been ranked among the best IP programs in the country by U.S.News & World Report. It offers more than 30 courses and four certificates in IP law as well as specialized sections in legal writing geared expressly toward IP. Students who earn the Allen J. Hoover Memorial Award will carry the honor of excellence in the profession that is evoked by the Hoover name.

“We’ll look to find a student who we feel will make the strongest contribution to the field of intellectual property during the course of their future career as a lawyer,” explained Barbara Bressler, director of DePaul’s Center for Intellectual Property Law & Information Technology. “We are honored to offer this award to a DePaul student in the name of Allen J. Hoover because his name will forever be synonymous with the highest of quality in the field of IP law.”

Allen J. Hoover’s name and career accomplishments were thrust into the media spotlight when he and two others were killed by a gunman who forced his way into the law offices of Wood, Phillips. Hoover’s warm personality and skill at patent law left an indelible mark on his colleagues, his law firm and the legal community, which inspired Wood, Phillips to join the Hoover family in funding the award.

“Allen was someone who loved being a lawyer, and we want to encourage others to follow in his footsteps and get into the IP field,” said John Mortimer, a partner in the Wood, Phillips law firm. “Allen was very much loved and respected, and this award is a gesture that honors him and his career.”