IP Law Firm Brinks Gilson & Lione Welcomes Largest Associate Class Since 2008
Reflecting ongoing robustness in its core business of intellectual property legal services, including in particular patent prosecution and litigation, Brinks Gilson & Lione recently announced the hiring of eleven new associates in three Midwest offices, boosting by seven percent the number of attorneys at the specialized IP law firm.
The new attorneys include nine in Brinks' office in Chicago: Genevieve Adams, Dawn David, Michael Friedman, David Hanna, Yashas Honasoge, Ian Moodie, Dr. Hao Tan, Shen Wang, and Dr. Yun (Sophie) Wei. Melinda DeSantis joined the Ann Arbor office, and Paul Lunsford joined in Indianapolis.
"Each of these individuals was invited to join Brinks because of their appreciation of the importance of intellectual property law and their proven ability to succeed in their field of practice," said Brinks president James R. Sobieraj. "It's an extremely talented incoming class, and our largest in six years."
"Despite challenges in other areas of law," added Sobieraj, "IP law remains a strong and active field in which to practice. Brinks remains at the forefront of intellectual property law in all fields of technology and science. We are pleased that top IP talent continues to want to join us.”
Brinks is one of the nation's largest intellectual property law firms and the largest in the Midwest. The firm has experienced strong growth in recent years. According to the most recent data published by Intellectual Property Today, Brinks attorneys saw a total of 1,764 U.S. patents issued in 2012, for year-over-year growth in the number of patents obtained of 15.6% and a 43 percent increase since 2009.
Brinks' incoming associates have diverse experience in business, government, and academia in the United States, Europe, and Asia. They collectively have training across many sectors of science and technology, including biotechnology, biochemistry, electrical and computer engineering.
Genevieve Adams, who joins Brinks' trademark practice, previously worked for Nypro, Inc., and for the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development in Geneva, Switzerland. Ms. Adams completed legal internships at an IP firm in Northfield, Ill., and at Puma North America in Boston. She is a 2013 graduate of Boston College Law School.
Dawn David has previous experience at Brinks as both a law clerk and a summer associate. She also completed the Patent Experience Externship Program at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and an internship at Unitalen IP Firm in Beijing, China. Ms. David graduated magna cum laude from The John Marshall Law School in 2013.
Melinda DeSantis joins Brinks' Ann Arbor office, where she was also a summer associate. She gained legal experience as a extern for the 35th District Court in Plymouth, Mich., and at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Mich. Prior to that, Ms. DeSantis worked in the biotechnology field at the University of Michigan’s Randal J. Kaufman Laboratory and at Cayman Chemical Company in Ann Arbor. Ms. DeSantis graduated magna cum laude from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2013, where she was also Executive Editor of Outside Articles for the University of Detroit Mercy Law Review.
Michael Friedman, an associate in the Trademark Practice Group, served as an intern at the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, and at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Friedman also interned for Judge Peter Messitte at the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and at Kohn, Kohn and Colapinto/National Whistleblowers Center in Washington, D.C. Mr. Friedman recently graduated with honors from The George Washington University Law School, where he was the Executive Production Editor of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Quarterly Journal.
David Hanna’s prior legal experience includes positions of increasing responsibility at law firms in Pittsburgh and Minneapolis, the Office for Technology Commercialization at the University of Minnesota, and Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. Mr. Hanna is a 2013 graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School, where he was Lead Articles Editor for the Minnesota Journal of Law and was on the Dean’s List.
Yashas Honasoge was previously a judicial extern for the Honorable Patrick J. Duggan at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and a summer associate at an IP firm in Troy, Mich. Mr. Honasoge gained engineering experience at Information Science Institute and Delphi Diesel Systems in Shanghai, China. He graduated cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2013.
Paul Lunsford is an associate in the Brinks Indianapolis office, where he also worked as a law clerk. Mr. Lunsford previously worked for four years as an officer in the United States Navy, and is a 2013 graduate of Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law.
Ian Moodie gained experience in intellectual property law at two Milwaukee-based law firms after working as an electrical engineer at Rockwell Collins and Procter & Gamble. Mr. Moodie is a recent graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law, where he was a College of Law Merit Scholar.
Dr. Hao Tan joined Brinks in 2008 as a scientific advisor and was recently promoted to associate. He earned his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Virginia, where he also worked as a teaching assistant for Advanced Digital Design and Signal and Systems. Prior to that he worked at the GE Global Research Center in Niskayuna, N.Y. and at the Motorola China Research Center in Shanghai. Dr. Tan is a recent graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Shen Wang’s legal experience includes positions at Brinks as a summer associate, as well as at the United States Patent and Trademark Office and Beijing-based Wan Hui Da Law Firm & IP Agency. Mr. Wang also gained extensive business experience at Accenture LLP, AT&T Inc., and the Ministry of Commerce of China in Beijing. He is a 2013 graduate of the Washington University School of Law.
Dr. Yun (Sophie) Wei was previously a summer associate at Brinks and a legal intern at the Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic at the Washington University School of Law. She earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Texas A&M University, where she also worked as a research assistant and teaching assistant. She also completed a research fellowship at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York. Dr. Wei is a recent graduate of the Washington University School of Law, where she was on the Dean’s List and was Executive Article Editor of the Washington University Global Studies Law Review.
Brinks Gilson & Lione
Brinks Gilson & Lione has more than 160 attorneys, scientific advisors and patent agents who specialize in intellectual property, making it one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the U.S. Clients around the world use Brinks to help them identify, protect, manage and enforce their intellectual property. Brinks lawyers provide expertise in all aspects of patent, trademark, unfair competition, trade secret and copyright law. The Brinks team includes lawyers with advanced degrees in all fields of technology and science. Based in Chicago, Brinks has offices in Washington, D.C., Research Triangle Park, N.C., Ann Arbor, Detroit, Salt Lake City and Indianapolis. More information is at www.brinksgilson.com.
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Cheryl Kennedy
Clovis, Inc.
312.346.1700
ckennedy@clovisinc.com
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