Andrew P. Connors

Education

• J.D., Liberty University School of Law
• B.S. (Applied Mathematics), University of Virginia

Areas of Interest/Teaching

• Intellectual Property
• Internet/Technology/Cyberlaw
• Mediation

Experience

• Worked as a technology associate developing software for the U.S. Marine Corps and FBI.
• Has 13 years of experience working for law firms on cases involving patents, trademark and copyright infringements, and breach of contracts.
• Clerked for the Honorable William G. Petty of the Virginia Court of Appeals from 2010–2012.
• Provided pro bono legal services for Christian nonprofit organizations and the Montgomery County Friends of Animal Care and Control.

Biography

Andrew P. Connors serves as the Director of the Intellectual Property Clinic at Liberty University School of Law, where he teaches courses in general Intellectual Property and a specialized course on Trademark Law and Practice. He also directs the student-run Intellectual Property Clinic, which is certified by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for trademark practice. Mr. Connors is a principal at Darkhorse Attorneys, a boutique intellectual property law firm specializing in intellectual-property-related transactions and litigation.

As a litigator, he has represented clients in all state trial courts in Virginia, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, the Court of Appeals of Virginia, including the full Court of Appeals sitting en banc, and the Supreme Court of Virginia. He has handled cases involving all kinds of intellectual property matters, including trademark, trade secret, patent, and copyright suits or potential suits. His business counseling practice focuses on business formation, intellectual property protection, intellectual property licensing, and contract drafting, including technology-related contract and licensing agreements.

He speaks regularly to various groups about intellectual property law, contract law, and business litigation issues. Before entering private practice, Mr. Connors served as a law clerk for two years to the Honorable William G. Petty at the Court of Appeals of Virginia. In law school, he was a Managing Editor of the Liberty University Law Review and won several moot court awards.

Mr. Connors has repeatedly been recognized as a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” and a Virginia “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers magazine. Virginia Business magazine has also recognized him as a member of its “Legal Elite for Intellectual Property” multiple times. He has served as a member of the Board of Governors for the Virginia State Bar Litigation Section.

Publications

• Andrew P. Connors et al., Understanding Intellectual Property: A Guide for Artists, 7 Liberty U. L. Rev. 317 (2013).
• Andrew P. Connors et al., Writing for the Bar Exam (2011).
• Andrew P. Connors, Dissecting Electronic Arts’ Spore: An Analysis of the Illicit Transfer of Copyright Ownership of User-Generated Content in Computer Software, 4 Liberty U. L. Rev. 405 (2010).
• Andrew P. Connors, The Measure of a Man: Considering Science Fiction and Christianity in the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Models, 19 Lib. U. L. Rev. 857 (2025).