David E. Brook

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved colleague, Dave Brook, co-founder of Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds. Dave Brook of Acton, MA, passed away on September 18, 2023. 

For 50 years, Dave represented university and corporate clients in intellectual property matters in many fields, including biotechnology, chemical engineering, chemistry, materials, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. Prior to co-founding the firm, he served on the corporate patent staffs of Itek Corporation, the Atlantic Research Corporation and E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

During his exceptional career, Dave was a member of the Board of Directors of several high technology corporations and served on the Board of Associates of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. He was an Adjunct Professor at Suffolk University Law School and Franklin Pierce Law Center, where he also served as a member of the Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property. Dave often lectured for institutions such as the M.I.T. Innovation Center and Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education. He also lectured at the People’s Republic of China State Intellectual Property Office and appeared numerous times as an expert witness in litigation.

John DuPré, Principal and former President at Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds, stated, “Dave was a tremendous leader at our firm and in the legal community. He served as President of the firm for many years and then as Chairman. Dave guided and developed the careers of so many, and was seen as an exceptional intellectual property lawyer. Everyone who knew Dave knew that he was a true family man, and treated his colleagues at HBSR as his second family. We are all better for having known and worked with Dave. Our hearts and thoughts go out to his wife, Arlene, and his children Stephen, Kendall, and Shauna.”

Mark Solomon, Principal and President at Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds, shared, “Dave was a distinguished and influential leader in the intellectual property legal community, and mentor to so many of us. He was a kind man who cared deeply about his own family and the Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds family. Dave’s excellence and devotion to his work were unparalleled. His legacy will live on through the many practitioners and clients he advised, trained, and supported throughout his career. He will be greatly missed.”