Salt Lake City, Utah – H. Ross Workman co-founded Workman Nydegger in 1984. He played a crucial role in shaping Workman Nydegger’s culture in a way that helped the firm to thrive. In the early stages, he envisioned the need for the firm to develop a national reputation rather than focusing solely on matters of a local nature. At the time, Salt Lake City was not well-known for patent law, so this was a challenging endeavor. However, Ross believed that the firm had great potential and, with hard work, could expand and develop its reputation.
Ross was not only a skilled prosecutor but he also excelled in litigation matters. Notably, early on Ross was lead trial counsel in a significant case involving infringement of a patented medical device owned by Sorenson Research, which was later sold to Abbott Laboratories. The case was notable because it was one of the first patent jury trials litigated in the District Court of Utah, and because the trial was being monitored by other medical device companies. Winning this case was an important milestone in establishing the firm’s reputation on a wider scale and led to the firm’s representation of other major medical device companies as well as companies specializing in other technologies.
Ross’ role in leading the firm in its early days and his commitment to professional excellence left a lasting impact which remains with the firm to this day.
In addition to his professional endeavors, Ross was an extraordinary person in many other ways. He was highly disciplined, and he had boundless energy and optimism. He never hesitated to serve his community, the legal profession, his family, and others around him. After retiring in 1997, he served as a mission president for the LDS church. Following that assignment, he continued to accept other calls to serve and was active in his service to the church until the time of his passing. His willingness to selflessly serve others was a fundamental part of his personality.
Ross leaves a remarkable legacy within the firm, his profession, and the community at large. All of us at Workman Nydegger will miss him but will remember his smile, optimism, and good nature with fondness.
Ross is survived by his wife Katherine Meyers, his four children, his 15 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.
Workman Nydegger specializes in intellectual property law and litigation. The firm represents a wide array of clients in all areas of intellectual property law, including patent, trademark, copyright, litigation and prosecution, unfair competition, and related licensing matters, and possesses expertise in a diverse range of technologies, including computer systems, software, e-commerce, and information technology; electronics and electrical engineering; pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, chemical, biotechnology, and medical and life science technologies; physics and optics; mechanics and mechanical engineering and alternative energy. For additional information, please visit www.wnlaw.com.