Panagiota Betty Tufariello, Attorney

I was born in Montreal, Canada .  I attended a private Greek-Canadian School .  As a result, I was able to speak fluent Greek and French, in addition to English, by the time I was 12 years old.

My family and I moved to the United States when I was 16 years old. We first lived in Brooklyn.  While living in Brooklyn, I attended Brooklyn Technical High School , while simultaneously working in our family restaurant, both before and after school.  As a result of my Tech education I received an extensive training in chemical engineering and mechanical engineering with a strong emphasis in blue print reading, drawing development and prototype formulation.  My restaurant experience in turn, exposed me to the world of business and profit.  It also instilled an awareness in me of the necessity for efficiency of operation in order to create the results that generate profits.

Upon graduation, I was admitted to Medical School at the University of Athens, after I took and passed the entrance examinations in Greece .  The examinations included testing in such courses as chemistry, biology, anthropology, physics, human anatomy and physiology.

Somewhere along the way, I decided I didn't want to be a doctor. I came back to the United States and attended Long Island University , The Brooklyn Center, from which I received a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry, with an emphasis on analytical and physical chemistry.  While studying at LIU, I also engaged in research which led to the publication of an article in American Laboratory:  CALCULATING THE HEATS OF HYDROGENATION OF UNSATURATED CYCLIC HYDROCARBONS USING THE SCHRODINGER EQUATION AND HOME MICROCOMPUTER by P.B. Angelis, AMERICAN LABORATORY, DEC 1983.

Upon graduation from LIU, I was admitted into the Ph.D. Program at Stony Brook University in the Organic Chemistry division.  When I realized that as a research scientist I would be spending more time in the lab and less with people, I decided that I no longer wanted a Ph.D. 

So  instead, I began working in the pharmaceutical industry on Long Island.  The companies I worked for include Phoenix Laboratories; Altana Inc., the parent company of Fougera, Byk-Gulden, and Savage Pharmaceutical; and Allergan Optical.  At Allergan Optical, a division of Allergan Pharmaceuticals, I was the managing director of the Q/A-Q/C Chemistry Laboratory and I was responsible not only for timely chemical analysis, but also for research and development as well as validation of chemical analytical processes using such equipment as atomic absorption, spectrophotometry, high performance liquid chromatography, Gas Chromatography and GC/Mass Spectrometry.

Upon graduation, I also found the time to get married to my college sweetheart, Angelo Tufariello.  As a result of marrying into an immigrant Italian family, I have also become fluent in Italian to the point that not only can I speak, read and write it, but can also hold an entire business meeting in Italian, just as I can in Greek. Angelo and I have been married for over twenty years.  Together we have three gorgeous children.  They keep us grounded and are a constant reminder of what life is really all about.

As a result of my experience and professional responsibilities at Allergan Optical, I became fascinated with the combination of science, technology and business.  Thus, when Allergan Optical decided to relocate to Texas , I decided to focus my entire life experience and education on the exciting world of Intellectual Property Law, i.e. the Law of Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Trade secrets.

I attended Hofstra Law School in Uniondale.  While I was attending Hofstra, I immediately apprenticed myself (for free) to the Law firm of Galgano & Belkin (now Galgano & Burke).  As a result, I began doing motion practice in federal courts and the United States Patent and Trademark Office even before I had graduated-at the end of my first year.  I also began drafting and filing patent applications and patent amendments.  I did so right through graduation.

Upon graduation from law school, and after I sat for the New York State Bar Exam, I became an associate and then a partner at Bauer & Schaffer, in Mineola New York, one of the oldest intellectual property law firms on Long Island.  Eventually, I launched Intellectulaw, The Law Offices of P.B. Tufariello, P.C.

As a result of  my efforts and my over fourteen years of experience, I have established a track record of obtaining substantial jury awards for my clients, many in the high six-figure range.  I have also successfully defended my clients on many occasions, including before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington D.C. , saving them millions of dollars in potential damages, all the result of my dedication to practicing intellectual property law in a manner that is different from the more traditional approach.

If you wish to explore if and how our different approach to Intellectual Property Law and client relationships might benefit you, contact me at any time.

In the mean while, you can check out some of the patents and trademarks that we have been instrumental in securing by visiting the "PUBLISHED WORKS" section set forth below.

In addition please visit our Commercial Litigation website at www.intellectulawlitigation.com