Mac LeBuhn

Mac LeBuhn joined Bartlit Beck in 2020. Mac has represented clients in a variety of disputes, including intellectual property, breach of contract, securities, and antitrust matters.

Before coming to the firm, he worked as a clerk to a federal judge and as Senior Policy Advisor and Legal Counsel in the Office of the Mayor of the City of Chicago. He completed his undergraduate and law degrees at Northwestern University.

Cases Tried or Otherwise Taken to Judgment

Trinity Industries Leasing Company v. Sunoco Partners Marketing & Terminals (Dallas County, Texas)
Trial counsel for Trinity in a breach-of-contract case relating to the lease of 280 railcars to Sunoco. After a four-day jury trial in Dallas County Court, the judge granted a motion for directed verdict in Trinity's favor, ruling that Sunoco had breached the contract by failing to pay for government-mandated modifications to the railcars.

Current Representations

Northwestern University v. Universal Robots, et al. (D.Del. and N.D. Ill.)
Trial counsel for Northwestern University in a series of patent infringement cases against the manufacturers of certain industrial robots that were invented at Northwestern University in the research laboratories of Drs. Michael A. Peshkin and J. Edward Colgate. The asserted patents—U.S. Patent Nos. 6,928,336, 6,907,317, and 7,120,508—claim groundbreaking work on intelligent assist systems known as collaborative robots or “cobots,” programmable robotic devices that can safely interact with human operators in a shared workspace. The lawsuits are part of Northwestern’s overall stewardship of life-changing technology developed by its faculty through the enforcement of intellectual property rights, as well as technology licensing, corporate partnerships, entrepreneurial support, and startup creation. Read the complaint here, and coverage in the press here, here, and here.

Professional Activities and Community Service

Board of Directors, CHANGE Illinois (2022 – present)