Back to Archived News
McAndrews, Held & Malloy Announces Two New Board Members, Six New Partners
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Chicago, IL -- McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd., one of the nation’s preeminent law firms specializing in intellectual property and complex technology law, today announced the elevation of two of the firm’s veteran attorneys to its Board of Directors and the promotion of six attorneys to partner status.
"We are pleased and proud to recognize the excellent work and contributions of these outstanding individuals," said John J. Held, a founding partner at McAndrews. "All of them are highly skilled intellectual property law attorneys and we look forward to them being of great value to our clients and helping to ensure the continued success of our firm."
The new board members at McAndrews include the following:
Joseph M. Butscher devotes his practice to patent prosecution, non-infringement/invalidity opinions, product clearances, patent interferences, IP due diligence, licensing, trademark prosecution and litigation. He has experience with various technologies across a variety of fields such as mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering. His work has involved medical devices, electrical connectors and mechanical fasteners, broadband communications chips and related systems, compressed gas storage and delivery systems, olefin polymerization systems, in-ear speakerphones and hearing aids, electronic dart game machines and computer jukeboxes. He is a member of the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Ronald A. DiCerbo focuses his practice on all aspects of intellectual property including patent litigation, trademark and copyright prosecution and litigation, trade secrets, unfair competition, licensing, clearance investigation and analysis, trademark oppositions and cancellations, and product development and acquisition. He provides litigation and counseling services to small and large clients in diverse industries including chemical compositions and processes, dietary supplements, medical devices, automotive parts and accessories, financial services, consumer retail services, entertainment services, sporting equipment, light fixtures and lighting control systems. He is a member of the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
The new partners at McAndrews include the following:
Heather A. Bjella focuses on intellectual property litigation involving patents, trademarks and unfair competition. Her experience extends to all aspects of IP litigation including preparing pre-trial and post-trial motions, written discovery, witness preparation, aiding in depositions and presenting motions to the court. She also has experience assisting clients in alternative dispute resolution and participating in mediation proceedings. Bjella counsels clients on a wide range of technologies from implanted electronic medical devices to lighting systems. She is a member of the bars of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Supreme Court of Illinois and the Supreme Court of Minnesota. She is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Christopher J. Buchko has experience in patent prosecution, patent litigation, product clearance and intellectual property due diligence. He has represented clients in a range of technology areas including medical devices, pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals and medical imaging. Prior to joining McAndrews, Buchko was a patent agent and legal associate at Guidant Corporation, a medical device manufacturer, where he managed patent portfolios, performed due diligence for technology acquisitions and provided technical expertise to the legal department. He holds a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the University of Michigan. He is a member of the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Andrew B. Karp devotes his practice to all areas of intellectual property law including patent litigation and prosecution, and focuses on complex electrical, software and computer system technologies. Karp previously was an electrical and computer engineer for ten years, focusing on communications and embedded technologies, including the design, development and production of software applications and hardware systems. He created a wide variety of products including applications, operating systems, motorcycle audio systems, home appliances and intelligent control systems. He is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Paul W. McAndrews focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation involving patents, trademarks, trade secrets and unfair competition. He has worked on cases dealing with an array of technologies including industrial paper machines, cardiac defibrillators, electronic lighting systems, surgical suction-irrigators, lava lamps, beverage cans and soft contact lenses. McAndrews has experience handling many aspects of major patent litigation including conducting pre-filing investigations, participating in case strategy sessions, all aspects of discovery, claim construction procedures and motion practice. He is a member of the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Laura M. Personick has experience in numerous areas of intellectual property law including litigation and patent prosecution, covering a wide variety of technologies. She has assisted in drafting patent claims and responses to office actions. She also has assisted in many aspects of litigation including discovery, motion drafting, depositions and preparing exhibits for trial. Personick is a member of the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and is registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Jonathan M. Rushman’s practice includes patent procurement and litigation, trademark registration and disputes, and trade secret protection. He has prepared and prosecuted patent applications directed to various technologies, and focuses primarily on mechanical and electromechanical devices, and computer implemented systems and methods. He also has provided patentability, freedom to operate and patent infringement opinions on various technologies. In addition, Rushman has been involved in patent litigation concerning various technologies including laser delivery systems, methods and equipment used in materials handling systems and chemical compounds used in food preparation. He is a member of the bars of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He also is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
About McAndrews, Held & Malloy
Founded in 1988, McAndrews, Held & Malloy is one of the nation’s preeminent legal resources on intellectual property, antitrust and technology matters, serving institutions ranging from major multinationals and start-ups to world-class colleges and universities. The firm’s technically trained attorneys have built an unparalleled record of litigation successes in jury trials, bench trials and ADR proceedings. In addition, McAndrews offers its clients services in the following areas: patent and trademark procurement and portfolio management, patent interferences, trademark oppositions and cancellations, international practice, intellectual property/technology opinions and investigations, due diligence and M&A support, technology licensing and joint ventures, and technology transfers and donations. Additional information can be found at www.mcandrews-ip.com.
Back to Archived News
