Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
For the eleventh straight year, the 40 Under 40 Committee at Law Bulletin Publishing Company sifted through almost one thousand nomination forms to select the 40 most talented attorneys in Illinois under the age of 40. The Law Bulletin is the preeminent legal publication in the state of Illinois, having been in operation for over 150 years.
What does it take to earn the 40/40 recognition? The standards applied in the selection process include: intelligence, professional achievements, outstanding reputation amongst peers, passion, a desire to help the community, and, most importantly, a willingness to work hard at one of the country’s most important and demanding professions.
Christopher V. Carani certainly satisfies these criteria. Chris is a partner and shareholder at McAndrews, Held & Malloy, one of the nation’s preeminent law firms in the field of intellectual property (patents, trademarks and copyrights), antitrust and technology matters, where he has been since 1995.
Chris’ practice regards all aspects of securing and enforcing intellectual property rights. His expertise in design patent law has won him national recognition, having successfully litigated numerous, high-profile disputes regarding design rights, including a landmark design patent case Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc. Indeed, his recent publication, “The New ‘Extra-Ordinary’ Observer Test for Design Patent Infringement,” which regards the law of design patent infringement, was selected as one of the 20 best law review articles for inclusion in the Thompson Reuters (West) Patent Law Review 2010.
In a survey of his peers published in Chicago magazine and Super Lawyers magazine, Chris was named as one of Illinois’ “Rising Stars” in intellectual property law for years 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. “He is nationally recognized as an authority on U.S. design patent law,” says Christopher Renk a partner and shareholder at intellectual property law firm Banner & Witcoff. “He is a leader in design law, an IP specialty that focuses on obtaining and enforcing design patents. There are only a handful of IP lawyers in the country who are leaders in this area of the law, and Mr. Carani is clearly one of them,” says Perry Saidman, a D.C. based attorney with 27 years experience.
Prior to law school, Chris earned his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Marquette University where he did his undergraduate work on a four-year full-ride Chick Evans Scholarship. Chris went on to attend the University of Chicago Law School where, between his second and third year, Chris studied at the Universita di Siena, in Siena, Italy.
After law school, Chris served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Rebecca R. Pallmeyer for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Upon completion of the judicial clerkship, Chris joined McAndrews, Held & Malloy (then a 27 attorney firm, now a 100+ attorney firm).
Chris comes from a family steeped in the law: both his father, Giuseppe Giovanni, and older brother, Carlo, are attorneys; his younger brother Vincent is on his way, currently a third year law student. Chris resides in Chicago with wife Anita, a physician at MacNeal Hospital, and daughter Sofia Valentina.
Carani’s family ancestral home is in Sant’Anna Pelago in the Apennine mountains, in the Provincia di Modena (and in the Regione Emilia Romagna). Chris currently serves as the Vice President of Societa Modenese di Mutuo Soccorso, which is located in Highwood. The Modenese Society is one of the oldest Italian societies in the U.S. having been established in 1906. While the society’s initial aim was to provide mutual aid for Italian immigrants, over the years the focus of the Society has shifted to preservation and promotion of Italian culture and heritage. Carani also remains an active member of the Justinian Society of Lawyers. The Justinian Society is a professional association of Italian-American lawyers in Illinois who prides itself on fostering a spirit of friendship through social and professional events. During law school, Carani a was recipient of the Justinian Society academic scholarship.
A true renaissance man, Carani is also an accomplished professional jazz musician, playing upright bass and guitar. He also sings in Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese. He performs solo regularly at Trattoria Trullo (authentic Pugliese cuisine), in the Lincoln Square area. “His guitar is perfect; you can enjoy the music in the air and still talk with people at your table,” says Giovanni Denigris who owns Trattoria Trullo.
Chris joins many bright professionals from our community who have been honored with this 40/40 recognition, including John Sciaccotta, Gamrath (both Celia and Rob), Franco Coladipietro, Gregory Conforti, Anthony Masciopinto, David Bonoma, Colleen Scimeca, Anita Ventrelli, John M. Spesia, Katherine Amari O’Dell, John Storino, Kenneth C. Apicella, Peter M. Spingola, and Michael Bonamarte.
Another example of the best our community has to offer — truly deserving of the prestigious 40/40 recognition.
