Harness Dickey hires senior Ford counsel as CEO

A senior in-house lawyer at Ford, Bill Coughlin, is returning to IP firm Harness Dickey as CEO, after leaving the firm in 1995.

Coughlin will work with Harness Dickey’s executive committee to oversee the firm’s short and long-term strategic business planning, client development and firmwide operations.

Coughlin began his legal career at Harness Dickey and spent 17 years at the firm before leaving to lead the IP teams at Chrysler and Ford.

“Bill knows the firm and our culture, understands first-hand the legal issues and complexities our clients face, and is skilled at managing diverse teams,” said Gary Yacura, a member of Harness Dickey’s executive committee.

Coughlin led Chrysler’s and then DaimlerChrysler’s legal IP teams until 2000 and then joined Ford as assistant general counsel and CEO of its IP subsidiary, Ford Global Technologies.

“It’s exciting to return to the firm where I launched what has been a challenging, enjoyable and fulfilling career,” said Coughlin. “I look forward to helping Harness Dickey build on its legacy as one of the preeminent IP firms.”

Coughlin began his career as an electrical engineer developing batteries for electric vehicles before joining Harness Dickey, and has helped bring Techstars to Detroit to build a mobility startup community.

He also served as adjunct professor at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School for a decade, teaching trade secret law, e-commerce law, and IP risk management.

The CEO role is a newly-created position within Harness Dickey.

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