Mr. Spence practices in all areas of intellectual property, with an emphasis on complex patent and trade secret litigation, counseling, and licensing.  He specializes in enforcement and exploitation of intellectual property rights; defense against claims of infringement and misappropriation; identification, protection, and maintenance of intellectual property rights; and intellectual property risk management.  Mr. Spence represents clients involved in a wide variety of complex technologies in the chemical, computer, electronic network, automotive, consumer product, biotechnology, entertainment, and gaming industries.  In 1996, prior to joining Kirkland & Ellis, Mr. Spence received a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering and a B.S. degree in Physics (in Medicine) from the University of Notre Dame.  He later served as Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force Medical Service Corps and worked in the chemical manufacturing industry in technical sales and product management.  In 2002, Mr. Spence received his J.D. degree from the University of Houston and was admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  Mr. Spence joined the Chicago office of Kirkland and Ellis LLP that same year.  In 2005, Mr. Spence participated in the Kirkland & Ellis International Attorney Exchange Program with the Japanese law firm of Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu in Tokyo, Japan.  While in Japan, Mr. Spence assisted in further developing Kirkland & Ellis' Asia Pacific practice.  He also worked on a wide array of transactional, litigation, and counseling matters involving complex technology.