Ernest I. Gifford
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Mr. Gifford has a long and distinguished career as an intellectual property law practitioner. He has chaired the Patent, Copyright and Trademark Section of the State Bar of Michigan, served as Arbitrator, American Arbitration Association. Since 1981, Mr. Gifford has been an instructor in the Paralegal Program at Oakland University. He has been an Adjunct Professor at Stetson Law School in St. Petersburg, Florida teaching a class in patent and copyright law. Mr. Gifford has authored a number of articles and publications in patent, trademark and copyright law. He has lectured extensively on these subjects at seminars and programs throughout his 45 years of practice. He has been active in the Michigan Patent Law Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association and in the Representative Assembly of the State Bar of Michigan. Mr. Gifford was born in Flint, Michigan, December 4, 1933. After achieving his A.B. at Michigan State in 1956, he earned honors legal degree of Juris Doctor at Wayne State University Law School in 1960. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Florida State Bar and of the Oakland, Macomb, Genesee and American Bar Associations. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He is a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
Allen M. Krass
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Mr. Krass has explored most areas of intellectual property law during his long and distinguished career. He has been involved in the prosecution of important patents covering inventions such as the basic numerical control system invented at MIT, programmable thermostats, electronic TV Guide and holography. He has represented plaintiffs and defendants in patent, copyright and trademark infringement litigation as well as cases involving trade secrets, licensing disputes, unfair competition and the like. His “fifteen minutes of fame” occurred when he defended a highly publicized lawsuit by Johnny Carson against a portable toilet distributor operating under the trade name “Here's Johnny.” Mr. Krass has been involved in a number of situations in which a patent issues after many companies have gone into the business of producing the patented product. Resolution of the problem for the patent owner requires a careful choice of negotiating, licensing and litigation techniques and tests the skills of a patent attorney. Mr. Krass received a bachelors degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1953 and a Juris Doctor with distinction from Wayne State University in 1956 where he was an editor of the Law Review. He was a patent attorney for the Research Laboratories Division of Bendix Corp. and continued to represent Bendix after entering private practice.
Douglas W. Sprinkle
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Mr. Sprinkle earned his Juris Doctor degree at the University of Michigan Law School, and was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 1975. Mr. Sprinkle is admitted to practice to the State and Federal Courts in Michigan. In addition he is admitted to the Federal Courts of Appeal for the Sixth Circuit, and the Federal Circuit. He was registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1975, while still in law school. Mr. Sprinkle is a member of Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu honorary professional fraternities, and the Oakland County, Livingston County and American Bar Associations. A native of Akron, Ohio, born in 1949, he graduated in 1970 magna cum laude in Electrical Engineering at the University of Michigan. He immediately went to work as a logic designer in large scale integrated circuits (LSI) at Motorola Semiconductor Products, Phoenix, Arizona. He returned, in 1973, to Michigan to study law at Ann Arbor. His practice includes litigation and patent and trademark prosecution. He has acted as lead counsel in numerous lawsuits, in Michigan and elsewhere, and successfully drafted and prosecuted hundreds of patents. As a hobby, he writes computer programs, several of which have been marketed commercially.
Thomas E. Anderson
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Mr. Anderson earned his Juris Doctor Degree cum laude at the University of Detroit Law School in 1980. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, State Court of Florida and Michigan, and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. An editor of the Law Review at U. of D., he was also a member of Alpha Sigma Nu National Honor Society and the Moot Court Board. Mr. Anderson lectures periodically on several aspects of patent and copyright law. Mr. Anderson is a member of the Intellectual Property Law Section and the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association. He is a Council Member of the Arts, Communications, Entertainment and Sports Law Section, and a member of the Computer Law Section, the International Law Section, and Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. He is a contributor to the ABA Litigation Section Intellectual Property Litigation Newsletter and to the Arts, Communications, Entertainment and Sports Law Newsletter. Mr. Anderson was born in Detroit, Michigan, May 1, 1945. With two years of engineering at the University of Michigan, he completed studies for his degree in Economics at Wayne State University in 1974. After graduation, he completed additional technical course work. Mr. Anderson is an avid skier and sailboat racer, and has worked in the marine industry in the field of marine electronics.
Ronald W. Citkowski
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Mr. Citkowski earned his Juris Doctor degree cum laude from Wayne State University in 1982. Mr. Citkowski is admitted to practice before the State Courts of Michigan and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He has also been admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Citkowski received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Detroit in 1968 with a major in Chemistry and a minor in Biology, and he did post-graduate work in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Michigan. Mr. Citkowski began his career as a Research Chemist for Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. of Troy, Michigan. During that time, he made a number of inventions, and in the course of obtaining patents for them, he became interested in a career in Patent Law. After earning his Law degree, he worked as a corporate patent attorney for Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. for four years, and subsequently entered into private practice. Mr. Citkowski's practice encompasses a wide range of technologies, including: semiconductor devices, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, batteries, fuel cells, chemical compositions and processes, and electro-mechanical devices. His specialties include patent procurement and licensing, and he has counseled both start-ups and established businesses with regard to their technology management and transfer programs.
Julie A. Greenberg
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Ms. Greenberg has over twenty years experience in trademark and copyright prosecution and protection, and is rated AV by Martindale Hubbell Peer Review. Ms. Greenberg has been named a 2010 Top Lawyer in Metro Detroit, and was selected for inclusion in the 2010 Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Edition, as well as 2009, and 2011 Michigan Super Lawyers. Much of her career has involved federal court litigation, with particular emphasis on obtaining preliminary injunctive relief. She has had extensive experience counseling clients in infringement matters involving copyrights in architectural works. She handles all levels of trademark prosecution, including at the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board, and has broad experience in opposition and cancellation practice. Ms. Greenberg counsels clients in all areas of trademark and copyright matters, including selection, registration, enforcement and infringement defense, with extensive experience in resolving issues through consent agreements and licenses. Ms. Greenberg earned her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1985, and her B.S. Degree in Chemistry, with distinction, from the University of Michigan in 1982. She is a member of International Trademark Association (INTA), the Intellectual Property Law Section of the Michigan Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association and the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association, and the ABA.
Douglas J. McEvoy
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Mr. McEvoy received his J.D. from the Detroit College of Law in 1990. Mr. McEvoy received his B.S.M.E. in 1986 from Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan. Mr. McEvoy is a member of the Michigan Bar and is registered to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. His work experience includes electrical and mechanical projects for Premier Engineering Co., in Madison Heights, Michigan. Mr. McEvoy further worked as an Industrial Marketing Consultant for Michigan Consolidated Gas Company. His associations in addition to the American Bar Association include the Incorporated Society of Irish/American Lawyers and the Macomb County Bar Association.
John G. Posa
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Mr. Posa received his Juris Doctor from Lewis & Clark Northwestern College of Law in Portland, Oregon in 1994, and became a member of the Patent Bar during law school. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Cass Technical High School. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1975, he worked as an associate engineer at RCA Consumer Electronics in Bloomington, Indiana, and then as a research engineer for Ann Arbor Terminals, Ann Arbor, Michigan. He moved to New York City and became a senior editor of McGraw-Hill's Electronics magazine, covering solid-state electronics, integrated circuits, and software. He later became a senior editor at High Technology magazine, based in Boston. He was a founder of Lattice Semiconductor Corp., a Portland, Oregon company specializing in the design of memory and programmable logic chips, where he served as Vice President of Marketing. Prior to entering law school he received a Bachelor of Fine Art from the Portland Museum Art School. He is a go player, enjoys printmaking, and has a son, Ben.
Douglas L. Wathen
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The focus of Mr. Wathen's practice is working with clients to develop a strategy to protect engineering related innovations. He represents a number of technology companies and organizations, including universities, automotive suppliers, medical device developers, and a variety of small manufacturers. A significant portion of Mr. Wathen's practice is dedicated to opinion work, including infringement and non-infringement analyses, "freedom to practice" reviews and the analysis of patent validity challenges. Mr. Wathen received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, with a concentration in vehicle design. Mr. Wathen then worked as an engineer in Ford's Advanced Vehicle Systems Engineering office specializing in powertrain engineering and noise and vibration (NVH) control. He earned his Juris Doctor degree cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School. Mr. Wathen is a member of the Association of University Technology Managers.
Mark D. Schneider
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Selected as one of the "Top dBusiness Lawyers in Metro Detroit 2013"
Mr. Schneider has experience in addressing a range of intellectual property issues. His practice includes litigation in Michigan state courts, numerous federal district courts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He also regularly engages in patent prosecution and transactional work. Mr. Schneider received his Juris Doctor degree with honors in 1998 from the Michigan State University - Detroit College of Law. While at MSU, he was a senior staff member and published contributor to Law Review. He is a graduate of Oakland University, where he received a B.S. degree in biology in 1994. Mr. Schneider is licensed in Michigan and by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Kevin S. MacKenzie
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Mr. MacKenzie received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University in 1992, and received his J.D. from the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law in 1998. Mr. MacKenzie is admitted to practice in Michigan, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He is a member of the Federal Bar Association, the Michigan Patent Law Association, the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and Michigan State Bar IP Committee. Mr. MacKenzie is experienced in preparing and prosecuting provisional, utility and PCT patent applications in mechanical, chemical and electrical arts. He regularly advises clients with respect to Patent Office actions, the patentability of inventions, trademarks and copyrights. He has particular industry knowledge in the areas of automotive components, including interior, steering, seating, latches, transmission components, HVAC and fuel systems. He also has experience with fuel cell and battery systems, electrical power generation and turbine systems, plastics and polymers, including silicone-based systems and adhesives, and with software and business methods. Mr. MacKenzie previously worked as a design engineer for G‑Tech Services (Dearborn, MI), where he performed design and cost analyses under contract for Ford Motor Company. Prior to that, he held the position of Design Engineer with MascoTech, Inc. (Dearborn, MI), and was responsible for the design and implementation of interior systems in conjunction with the electrical system for a Ford Motor Company heavy truck program.
Julie K. Staple Ph.D.
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Dr. Staple received her Juris Doctor degree cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 2004. She is admitted to practice before the State Courts of Michigan as well as the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Julie received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Her research interests during graduate school included the mechanisms which regulate the molecular components of the neuromuscular junction. Working with groups at the Glaxo Institute for Molecular Biology in Geneva and at the University of Lausanne, she focused her research on regulation of synaptic protein heterogeneity in CNS synapses. Julie also holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in biology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She is a member of the Association of University Technology Managers.
Mark A. Harper Ph.D.
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Dr. Harper earned his B.S. and M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering and his Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering in 1992 from Ohio State University. Dr. Harper received his Juris Doctor degree from Northern Illinois University (NIU) in 2005, where he graduated magna cum laude. He was a member of the NIU Law Review and a semi-finalist in the 2004 NIU Moot Court competition. During his studies at Ohio State, he was selected as a B.F. Goodrich Young Inventor and issued one patent for his graduate research. Following graduation he was a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Before returning to school to pursue his law degree, he worked as a research engineer in the metals industry where his research interests included high temperature corrosion and alloy development. In addition, he served as principal investigator on two government funded alloy development programs, one involving a large collaboration between two universities and a national laboratory. Dr. Harper has over thirty publications and one patent in the material science field. He is admitted to practice before the State Courts of Michigan, and the United States Patent & Trademark Office. His outside interests include hiking and golf.
John Chau
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Mr. Chau earned his B.S. in Control Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1998 and his Juris Doctor cum laude from Ave Maria School of Law in 2007. Following his commission as a 2nd Lt. in the United States Marine Corps, John was stationed in Camp Pendleton and deployed to the Middle East three times, including one tour as a Captain serving as a Company Executive Officer in Iraq for a mechanized infantry company. While in law school John was awarded Best Advocate in the St. Thomas Moore First Year Appellate Competition, a regional semi-finalist in the 2007 Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition, Presidential Management Fellow Finalist, and served as a law clerk for Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. in Ann Arbor. John is the Vice President of his graduating class at the Naval Academy, and his outside interests include surfing, fly fishing, and hiking.
Cesare Sclafani
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Mr. Sclafani earned his Juris Doctor cum laude in May 2008, from Wayne State University Law School. Mr. Sclafani is admitted to practice before the State Courts of Michigan, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. During law school he was recognized as a Dean’s Scholar and a recipient of the Silver Key Certificate for academic achievement. Mr. Sclafani earned his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering cum laude from Oakland University. While completing his degree Mr. Sclafani was inducted into the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and was awarded Departmental Honors from the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Weston R. Gould Ph.D.
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Dr. Gould received his Juris Doctor Degree Summa Cum Laude from Quinnipiac University School of Law. He is admitted to practice before the Connecticut state courts and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Dr. Gould earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Vermont College of Medicine with thesis work on the structure and function of the prothrombinase complex as it assembles and catalyzes coagulation on the platelet surface. He received his B.S. degree from the University of Michigan. Following his graduate work, Dr. Gould worked as a post-doctoral fellow at Pfizer, Inc. where he participated in several small molecule anticoagulant drug discovery teams, and led research projects involving enzymology, three-dimensional protein structure, and intracellular signaling. Dr. Gould’s research is published in top biomedical journals.
Erin Morgan Klug
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Erin Morgan Klug earned her Juris Doctor degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Mrs. Klug is admitted to practice before the State Courts of Michigan and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. During law school, Erin studied European intellectual property law at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy and worked as a patent law research assistant for Case Western. She earned her Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering, with distinction, from the University of Michigan. While completing her degree, Erin worked at Ford Motor Company in quality control and design engineering. Erin Morgan Klug was awarded the Dean’s Award for academic excellence at the University of Michigan and was inducted into Pi Tau Sigma, the Honorary Mechanical Engineering Society. Mrs. Klug is the current Recording Secretary for the Women’s Bar Association and is active in the Oakland County Bar Association, Animal Law Defense Fund, Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association, Women's Lawyer's Association of Michigan and Inforum Professional Women's Alliance. Her outside interests include running, vegetarian cooking, enjoying time outdoors and volunteering with various animal rights and rescue organizations.
Mikhail Murshak
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Mr. Murshak received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University in 2000, and received his J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2003 where he attended as an Oliver Ellsworth Scholar. Mr. Murshak is admitted to practice in Michigan, Connecticut, New York, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He is experienced in preparing and prosecuting provisional, utility and PCT patent applications in mechanical, chemical and electrical arts. He regularly advises clients with respect to Patent Office actions, the patentability of inventions, trademarks and copyrights. He has experience with automotive components and systems, fuel cell and battery systems, electrical power generation and turbine systems, plastics and polymers. He also has experience working with university research in the chemical and material arts, medical devices, consumer products, and entrepreneurial start-up businesses. Mr. Murshak previously worked in the intellectual property departments of general practice firms in both Michigan and Connecticut. Prior to joining private practice he worked as an intellectual property analyst for United Technologies Corporation – Pratt & Whitney, managing a patent portfolio for a jet engine innovation strategy group specializing in engine data acquisition architecture. Prior to law school Mr. Murshak worked as a quality control analyst for Merit Laboratories, an environmental analytical testing laboratory. He currently provides pro bono IP counseling to the Jackson Inventors Network and Lansing Inventors Network. He also assisted in launching the Michigan Inventors Coalition. From 2008 until 2011 Mr. Murshak served on the board for the Entrepreneur Institute of Mid-Michigan, a non-profit dedicated to providing micro-lending and business plan education to qualified members of the community. In addition to his patent practice, he teaches Patent Office Practice as an adjunct professor at Thomas M. Cooley Law School. He also spent two years teaching calculus as a teaching assistant at Michigan State and participated in the Street Law program in law school teaching constitutional law to inner city high school civics classes. His Street Law experience earned him the Alvin Pudlin Memorial Award for excellence in First Amendment Advocacy. His outside interest include running, golf, spending time outdoors with his dog, and traveling.