Craig S. Hilliard is a Shareholder in the Commercial Litigation Group and Chair of the Intellectual Property Litigation Group. He also serves as General Counsel to the law firm.
Mr. Hilliard concentrates his practice in the area of federal civil litigation, including class actions, fraud, securities, employment, copyright/trademark, and other complex civil litigation. Prior to joining Stark & Stark, he served as a law clerk for United States District Court Judge Garrett E. Brown, Jr. and then practiced law at a large international law firm in New York City. Mr. Hilliard is a certified mediator with the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, and has successfully mediated dozens of cases for the Court.
Mr. Hilliard has served as trial counsel in some of the largest class actions in the country, including, In re Bennett Funding Group Securities Litigation and Scheck Investments v. Kensington Management, Inc. Mr. Hilliard has tried dozens of jury trials, bench trials, and arbitration proceedings throughout his career, handling cases as lead counsel in both federal and state courts in over 25 states. He has also argued appeals in state supreme courts and federal appeals courts including the Second, Third, and Ninth Circuits.
Mr. Hilliard has litigated copyright and trademark cases for some of the largest apparel manufacturers and designers in the world, and he is counsel to the largest trade association in the formalwear industry. In that capacity, he has focused his practice most recently on the challenges posed by the global growth of internet-based counterfeiting and unfair competition. His work for his clients has included intensive lobbying activities at the state and federal levels, along with successful litigation in a number of federal courts.
For well over a decade, Mr. Hilliard has been a Certified Mediator for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. He is also a frequent lecturer and author of materials for ICLE, Lorman Education Services, and The National Business Institute. Additionally, Mr. Hilliard is an adjunct Professor of Law for Rutgers University for Trial Advocacy.
