Singularity Law

A good friend and a pioneer in the IT law field recently died in a tragic accident. Mark L. Gordon, founder and managing partner in the Chicago-based law firm of Gordon & Glickson (recently merged into McGuire Woods), died with his wife on July 31, 2006 in a house fire in suburban Chicago.

Mark was an internationally recognized computer (IT) law expert. We met almost two decades ago at a Computer Law Association meeting and kept in contact ever since. We often talked and emailed each other and I had the pleasure of publishing a number of articles written by Mark over the years. For many years he served on the Board of Editors of the Cyberspace Lawyer (which I edit).

Mark was a moving force in the development of the field of computer law, and was heavily involved in the growth of the Computer Law Association (now the International Technology Law Association), where he served as an officer, Board member and President.

The last time I saw Mark was in the Caribbean, at a conference at which we were both speakers. We spent a wonderful afternoon sitting around the pool at the hotel reminiscing and discussing legal issues on which we both felt strongly. His expertise was far reaching, from intellectual property to outsourcing to government contracting. He was never without a smile and a kind word. He will be sorely missed.