Glen P. Belvis focuses his practice on all facets of intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and related antitrust matters. He has substantial patent litigation experience, including bench and jury trials, appeals before the Federal Circuit, and alternate dispute resolutions, and has participated in several multinational litigations involving related patent lawsuits in the U.K., Europe, Asia, Canada and the United States. He has testified as an expert witness on patent and trade secret matters, has lectured on patent and antitrust matters at Oxford University, and has experience in patent prosecution, interferences, and proceedings before the PTO board of appeals. Mr. Belvis' experience encompasses a wide range of technologies, including medical devices, bio-tech, software, Internet, lasers, paper, polymers, heavy equipment and pharmaceuticals. He received his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law and his B.S. in Chemistry from University of Notre Dame.

David S. Fleming, chair of the Internet/E-commerce Group, concentrates his practice in trademark law, focusing on litigation in federal courts and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, counseling, and prosecution in the Patent and Trademark Office.  Mr. Fleming has represented a wide variety of trademark clients in services and manufacturing industries. These clients have included worldwide companies engaged in the following activities: Internet search engine services; franchising in areas such as real estate brokerage and hotel services; car rental services; mortgage lending services; asset-based and other business lending services; title insurance and related services; a joint venture of credit card associations providing international standards for security in electronic payment transactions; retailing services; cellular and other communications equipment manufacturing and marketing; truck manufacturing; automobile parts manufacturing; tobacco products; and motion picture services.  He received his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law and his B.A. from Northwestern University.

Cynthia A. Homan has practiced law at Brinks for 25 years, where she also worked while attending law school.  She focuses her practice on brief writing at all levels of the federal court system, with a special emphasis on patent appeals.  She founded the firm’s Appellate Group and served as chair for eight years.  Ms. Homan also has copyright counseling experience as well as litigation experience in patent, trademark and copyright law.  She is a member of the national board of directors of Lambda Legal and served as the organization’s co-chair from 2004 to 2005.  She received her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law, her M.L.S. from the University of Pittsburgh and her B.A. in Russian Language and Area Studies from the University of Illinois.

Robert S. Mallin has extensive litigation experience in a variety of patent and trademark cases, including first chair jury trial and arbitration preparation and participation, taking and defending depositions, preparing and arguing motions, and conducting discovery matters; patent prosecution and counseling, including the use of reexamination to invalidate a patent during litigation; reviewing and evaluating patents for patentability, infringement, and validity opinions; and licensing. He is knowledgeable in such technical areas as metallurgical processing, electromechanical inventions, mechanical inventions, chemical processing, optical fiber connectors and thermoplastic adhesives, and the automotive industry and biotechnology.  He received his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Steven P. Oberholtzer, managing partner of Brinks’ Ann Arbor office, focuses on patent and trademark counseling, corporate intellectual property policy development, technology licensing, joint development and joint venture relationship agreements, United States Patent and Trademark Office administrative proceedings, including interferences, re-examinations, re-issues, trademark oppositions, patent application preparation and prosecution, providing opinions regarding infringement risks, design-around projects and patentability and administration of corporate intellectual property portfolios.  He has extensive experience in the mechanical and electro-mechanical disciplines with particular emphasis on automotive industry issues and has additional significant experience in technology areas, including medical devices, lasers, fiber optics, optical devices and heavy industrial equipment. Mr. Oberholtzer received his J.D. from the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University, formerly known as the General Motors Institute.

Gary M. Ropski, President of Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, has practiced intellectual property law exclusively since joining the firm in 1976. His practice now focuses on litigation, but has included patent prosecution and litigation; trademark prosecution, including oppositions and litigation; trade dress litigation; copyright registration and litigation; trade secret litigation; right of publicity counseling and litigation; and related unfair competition and antitrust matters in federal and state courts. Mr. Ropski has received numerous awards, including being named as a Leading Illinois Intellectual Property Lawyer byChambers USA for four consecutive years; a Leading Intellectual Property Lawyer by theLeading Lawyers Network for three consecutive years;   and  a Top 10 Leading Lawyer for Business by the Leading Lawyers Network.    Mr. Ropski has also been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer in Intellectual Property Litigationand was named  one of the Top 10 Attorneys in Illinois in 2006.  He received his J.D., cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law and his B.S. in Physics from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Jason C. White's practice has focused primarily on patent litigation matters. However, he also has significant experience representing both licensors and licensees in complex licensing negotiations. In addition, he has experience in drafting and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications in computer, electronics and telecommunications arts, preparing invalidity and non-infringement opinions, conducting due diligence analyses in conjunction with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures and counseling clients regarding obtaining and enforcing intellectual property rights.

Fleming, Mallin and Ropski will serve on the Executive Committee along with Chief Operating Officer, Bruce Weisseg.

Also, Brinks announced the firm’s practice group chairs for 2007.  They are listed here in alphabetical order:

Meredith Martin Addy – Appellate

James A. Collins – Electrical/Computer

Margaret A. Dobrowitsky – Licensing

Jeffery M. Duncan – Biotech and Pharmaceutical

Thomas J. Filarski – Chemical

David S. Fleming – Internet/E-commerce

William H. Frankel – Copyright

John C. Freeman – International Patent

John T. Gabrielides – Anti-counterfeiting

Kent E. Genin – Patent Prosecution

Raymond W. Green – Interference

Jeffery A. Handelman – Trademark & Unfair Competition

Richard A. Kaplan – Trade Secrets

Laura Beth Miller – International Trade Commission

Michael E. Milz – Mechanical

William F. Prendergast – Nanotechnology

Jonathan E. Retsky – Intellectual Asset Management

James R. Sobieraj – Litigation

Mary M. Squyres – International Trademark

Founded in 1917, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione is based in Chicago with four additional offices across the country serving the intellectual property needs of clients from around the world. The firm is one of the largest IP law firms in the country, with more than 150 attorneys, scientific advisors and patent agentsspecializing in intellectual property litigation and all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, unfair competition, intellectual asset management, and technology and licensing agreements.  Brinks routinely handles assignments in fields as diverse as electrical, chemical, mechanical, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, nanotechnology, Internet and computer technology, as well as in trademarks and brand names for a wide variety of products and services.

http://www.brinkshofer.com