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Merchant & Gould Names Two New Partners and Four New Shareholders
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Minneapolis, MN -- Merchant & Gould, an intellectual property law firm, today announced that it has named David St. John-Larkin and Rachel C. Hughey as partners at the firm. In addition, E. Joseph Gess, Gregory D. Leibold, George C. Lewis, P.E. and Karen D. McDaniel have been named shareholders at the firm.
"We are excited to announce the naming of these new partners and shareholders. They are excellent attorneys and valuable members of the firm -- adding significant depth and breadth." said Brian H. Batzli, CEO and Managing Director of Merchant & Gould. "They work tirelessly to add value for their clients, both in and out of the courtroom. On behalf of the entire firm, I'd like to congratulate them on their achievements."
In Minneapolis, Rachel C. Hughey focuses her practice on patent and copyright litigation and appellate level disputes. She clerked at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and has expertise in a wide variety of fields, including chemical technologies, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, mechanical devices, and software. Rachel has successfully briefed, argued, and won dispositive and non-dispositive issues in both state and federal courts.
Karen McDaniel also focuses her practice on litigation, having been involved in over forty IP lawsuits. Karen has secured damages awards on behalf of clients totaling several hundred millions of dollars (in reported decisions), and has recovered or helped her clients to avoid paying many times that amount in confidential settlements and license agreements. Karen has a background in chemistry, and while not exclusively focused in the life sciences area, Karen has significant experience in matters involving health and the human body. She is an adjunct professor at the William Mitchell College of Law.
At the firm's Denver office, David St. John-Larkin's practice emphasizes patent licensing and strategic patent portfolio management and analysis. His practice also includes providing infringement, freedom to operate, and validity opinions, as well as patent prosecution and client- counseling related to contract, trademark and trade secret matters. David specializes in the fields of computer science and electrical engineering.
Gregory D. Leibold is the Chair of Merchant & Gould's Technology Transactions Practice Group. His practice is focused on counseling clients to protect and leverage their investment in innovation. Greg has prosecuted patents and negotiated agreements relating to a variety of technologies, including: software, Internet telephony, telecommunications, mechanical and sports inventions, and financial services. Mr. Leibold has extensive experience negotiating license, maintenance, collaboration, consulting, outsourcing, and other related agreements on behalf of technology companies.
George C. Lewis, P.E. emphasizes developing and managing patent and trademark portfolios to support the business goals of his clients. Drawing on his extensive experience as an engineer in research, design, operations and project management, George develops and integrates IP protection programs that suit his clients and their products, business models and markets to aggressively protect their market positions and provide a strong foundation for future growth. Because of his diverse experience and his training in both electrical and chemical arts, George is uniquely suited to assist clients in responding to the modern IP challenges confronting corporate counsel, challenges that include not only protecting a company's core business and brands, but also must address IP issues associated with the ancillary technologies and corporate functions necessary to a modern business, such as manufacturing techniques, environmental concerns, IT infrastructure, business methods, internet presence and supply chain management. George also practices copyright and trademark law for media and entertainment clients in the Rocky Mountain region.
At the firm's Washington, D.C. office, E. Joseph Gess focuses on the counseling of clients, preparing intellectual property strategies, as well as patent prosecution. He also practices and has experience in conducting due diligence studies, Section 337 actions before the International Trade Commission, and trademark protection and maintenance. From a technology standpoint, his practice focuses in the chemical and bio/pharma areas including preparation of opinions regarding pharmaceutical products in support of ANDA applications. Another focus is alternative fuels, including biofuels.
About Merchant & Gould
Merchant & Gould is a national intellectual property law firm with more than 100 attorneys, patent agents and technical advisors in offices in Atlanta, Denver, Knoxville, Madison, Minneapolis, New York, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. The firm has represented the worldwide intellectual property interests of clients in diverse industries and technologies for 110 years.
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