Kevin Heinl is an experienced patent attorney who is diligent in advising his clients in all aspects of the patent prosecution process. With 30 years of experience in patent enforcement and protection, Kevin prosecutes and litigates intellectual property cases in the mechanical arts. He counsels clients on a full range of patent and intellectual property matters, including trademark, prosecution, and enforcement as well as licensing and copyright issues. Kevin believes the best way to represent a client is to develop an in-depth understanding of how an invention works and how it impacts the business to which it pertains. To that end he tries, whenever possible, to visit clients at their plants, observing manufacturing processes and learning the intricacies of mechanical devices. This helps him develop a detailed understanding of an invention and the problem the invention has solved, which in turn allows him to more fully meet the client`s needs. The desired outcome is a clear, understandable description of an invention, which streamlines the examination process and makes the issued patent more easily understood by a judge or jury. Kevin also encourages his clients to actively participate in the patent prosecution process, which helps to assure enforceability of the patents eventually obtained. Kevin's prior industry work experience as a supervisor in a metal fabrication plant allows real-world insight into manufacturing operations. This background has proven especially helpful to clients in the automotive industry for whom Kevin has prosecuted patents involving manufacturing processes, vehicle interior components, transmissions, and convertible tops. He has also secured patent protection for clients in other industries, including for mechanical components in computer systems. Kevin's litigation clients benefit from his broad range of experience, as well. As in his patent practice, Kevin strives to take whatever reasonable measures are necessary to thoroughly understand the impact of an infringement or invalidity claim on its business. He advises clients to fully consider all possible dispute resolution options available, so they do not rush into litigation. Kevin has successfully represented a variety of clients in both asserting patent infringement claims and defending against such claims made by others, at both the trial court and appellate court level.

Isheeta Patel Laxmanan is an experienced patent attorney with a passion for providing her clients with high-quality, strategic intellectual property advice with an eye for detail and current technological trends. Isheeta focuses her practice on the preparation and prosecution of domestic patent applications in the chemical engineering and materials arts. Isheeta also has experience in advising her clients on intellectual property strategies by providing opinions on whether they have freedom to operate and by assessing the validity of patents. She has experience working with clients of various sizes, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to small start-ups. Isheeta has multi-faceted experience working extensively within a variety of industries, with an emphasis on technologies related to chemical engineering and advanced materials. Her prosecution and opinion experience is focused on advanced coatings, nanocomposites and composite systems, polymer chemistry and coagulants, heat transfer and thermal management materials, battery components and controls, catalyst structures, fluid flow control, and related coatings, additive manufacturing, paints, and specialty coatings, and consumer products. Isheeta provides reliable insight to clients regarding business-critical decisions such as whether to patent an inventive concept, whether they have freedom to operate, the validity of granted patents, and determining the state of the art and any white space in a specific technology market. Isheeta also has experience supporting intellectual property negotiations, settlements, and litigation. Isheeta previously served as a patent clerk with Honda Patents & Technologies North America and Ohio State’s Technology Commercialization Office. Before entering the intellectual property industry, she held engineering positions with Owens Corning developing wind turbine blade technology and with H.R. Technologies, Inc., a tier-two automotive materials supplier. Isheeta holds a Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law where she served as Issue Editor for the technology journal I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society (now the Ohio State Technology Law Journal), as well as President of both the Intellectual Property Law Society and the South Asian Law Students Association. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Outside of Brooks Kushman, Isheeta is the current President of the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) of Michigan and currently serving on the Board of Directors for SABA North America and SABA Michigan. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family on the lake, checking out new restaurants, and traveling (when it’s not football season). Although she attended Ohio State for law school, Isheeta is true to her undergraduate degree from Michigan and can regularly be found sporting University of Michigan gear, especially every Saturday of football season at the Big House with her husband watching the Wolverines play.

Sangeeta serves as the firm’s Chief Executive Officer and has over 20 years of experience. Her practice includes all aspects of intellectual property litigation, prosecution and counseling, with a special focus on post-grant challenges and patent opinions. She represents several Fortune 500 clients for whom she provides strategic counseling and guidance on their global intellectual property portfolios. Sangeeta has handled numerous patent, trade secret, trademark, and unfair competition cases involving parties in the chemical, software, automotive and metallurgical industries on such matters as injection molded polyethylene terephthalate bottles, polymer reinforcements, magnetic storage devices, emission testing equipment, touch controlled switching circuits, compression molded doors, chemical vapor deposition processes and cutting tools. She has also litigated design patent and copyright infringement cases in such diverse areas as architectural building designs, automotive parts and consumer products. Sangeeta does an immaculate job of breaking down complex patent law and technology concepts and relates well with other people. She is highly proficient, responsive and committed. – IAM Patent 1000 In view of the breadth of her experience in both prosecution and litigation matters, Sangeeta is the Co-Chair of Brooks Kushman's Post Grant practice group and she is nationally recognized for her experience. She leads teams to challenge and defend patents using the post-grant challenges available in the wake of the America Invents Act. She is at the forefront of this changing landscape and its implications and works closely with clients to take proactive steps to obtain competitive advantage from an adversarial and patent procurement standpoint. Sangeeta has been instrumental in building the Post Grant practice group at Brooks Kushman. She is frequently called upon to counsel clients in developing best practices and strategic planning of their patent portfolios, including writing successful patent applications in complex and novel situations, in anticipation of possible future litigation. She works closely with clients from the earliest stages of their technical development, offering valuable advice about how to protect their inventions and new ideas in view of their business strategies. She advises clients on multi-faceted patent clearance, and adversarial matters and works with technical and legal teams to develop invalidity arguments and design around solutions to bolster her clients' positions. Through her opinion and prosecution practice, Sangeeta has extensive experience with chemical and mechanical technologies, in the areas of catalysts, food science, packaging, analytical instrumentation, dietary supplements, diagnostic kits, adhesives, plastics, therapeutics and metallurgy. A growing component of her work revolves around India. She has represented U.S. companies going into India, and Indian companies doing business in the U.S. to help obtain and protect global intellectual property assets. Prior to becoming CEO, Sangeeta served as the firm’s Chief Diversity Officer. Through her efforts, she created a culture of diversity and inclusiveness within the firm and extend the firm`s reach through pipeline initiatives and outreach efforts. Prior to this position, she also managed human resources for Brooks Kushman for over 10 years. She has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Women in PTAB Trials in 2019, a 2009 “Women Worth Watching,” a “Top Lawyer” by DBusiness and is a 2012 “Women in the Law” awardee. She has spoken at several business and legal conferences on a variety of intellectual property topics at the IP Leadership Forum, Global IP Convention, the Women Lawyer`s Association of Michigan, State of Bar Michigan, Intellectual Property Division, the Association of Press Photographers, the American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin, and TiE. Sangeeta's spare time is dedicated to community outreach. In 2012, she founded an early literacy initiative, Retooling Detroit, that assists hundreds of Detroit public school children each year—ensuring that their reading skills improve so that the cycle of illiteracy and poverty can be broken one child at a time. She is also actively involved in the Isha Foundation and its global environmental, education and health initiatives which focus on the use of meditation as a transformative tool for change.

Michael Turner is a dynamic patent attorney with wide-ranging legal expertise in patent law and works closely with clients to ensure that patent portfolios align with international protection and enforcement strategies. Michael Turner’s passion for learning led him to a career in patent law. He applies that drive to every project and obtains patents that are relied upon to protect technology, which has resulted in significant licensing and enforcement. Many of these patents have withstood the scrutiny of challenges at various US district courts, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the Patent Trial & Appeal Board of the US Patent & Trademark Office. Michael has the experience and foresight to obtain intellectual property rights to withstand such challenges. Due to Michael’s experience with obtaining patents for enforcement, he is also sought for prosecution of patent applications with an eye towards litigation. Likewise, Michael also has significant experience with prosecution of patents during reexamination and reissue prosecution. A primary focus of Michael Turner's practice is domestic and foreign patent prosecution for mechanical matters, electromechanical matters, systems, methods, and designs. His industry background in robotics and automation provides him with experience in various technologies and manufacturing processes. Michael counsels clients on procedures for filing domestic patent applications that meet the varying requirements for both domestic and international protection and enforcement, particularly addressing the various international nuances associated with design patents. This counseling includes generating procedures for efficient collection of invention and design disclosures to streamline internal processes. Michael’s experience includes preparing, prosecuting, and managing international patent and industrial design portfolios. This experience includes developing strategies for obtaining strong patent protection in many countries. Due to his experience and understanding of the laws and procedures of many commercially significant countries, Michael efficiently seeks broad and consistent international protection. Michael is actively involved in post-grant proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He represents clients in Inter Partes Review proceedings, reexaminations, and reissue patent applications. Such involvement includes coordinating strategies across post-grant proceedings, co-pending litigation, product engineering, licensing, and patent prosecution. Michael is active in appellate practice and oral advocacy before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the US Patent & Trademark Office. One of Michael’s strengths involves analyzing complex legal and technical issues for client counseling to mitigate risks associated with commercialization of technology. This ability enables him to assist clients to bring a product to market by guiding their design through the patent portfolios of competitors. This also enables him to protect the core technologies of a client. He is often assigned to protect such technologies where licensing and/or enforcement are necessary; and the strongest protection is required. Consequently, Michael cooperates with litigation counsel (domestic and international), coordinating efforts between the protection and enforcement of technologies. He also negotiates licenses, to reach agreements between parties to avoid litigation. Michael likes to lead by example in his practice and within Brooks Kushman. He is a co-chair of the Patent Prosecution department. He is also on the Brooks Kushman Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. Michael participates in recruiting and training, as well as chairing monthly and quarterly internal legal education seminars. Michael also has a passion for educating. As a leader of the Patent Prosecution department, he is active with the coordination of the ever-changing laws, procedures, strategies, and technologies. Michael is one of the teachers of the Brooks Kushman claims drafting training class. Michael participates in the Brooks Kushman mentor program. Michael is a former Co-Chair of the mentor program of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, wherein he helped draft the mentor guidelines. He typically mentors the development of new hires, including lawyers, patent agents, clerks, and patent engineers. Michael helps the firm stay current on developments in the law and the practice by coordinating internal legal education seminars. Michael feels this experience helps build the firm, helps build strong teams for clients, and helps him explain complex matters to clients, patent examiners, and others. In his spare time, Michael loves to do outdoor activities with his family and dogs. Michael also enjoys obtaining patents for inventors with the Michigan Pro Bono Patent Project of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan.

James Bertino is an experienced patent attorney who prioritizes quality and high value results for his clients. James focuses his practice on domestic and foreign patent prosecution. He prepares, prosecutes, and advises on patents in several technical areas including the automotive, automation, and manufacturing industries. Specifically within the automotive industry, James has extensive experience in automotive technology relative to hybrid vehicles, powertrains, HVAC, safety systems, solar power, and plant automation. He counsels clients of all sizes, ranging from Fortune 500 Corporations to small start-ups, on a wide range of technologies. Because of James’s extensive engineering experience, James is technically proficient, being able to understand and put on paper what the invention is without having to rely solely on the inventor. He has extensive experience in novelty, validity, invalidity, state of the art, and clearance studies. As an experienced advisor, James counsels his clients honestly on their patent portfolio. In his practice, James conducts extensive research on existing technology to determine the white space within a specific technology market to ensure a client’s concept falls within the determined white space to recommend whether the client should pursue patent protection. James is also highly skilled at formulating opinions on the validity or invalidity of a particular patent during litigation proceedings, determining the current state of the art in a specific technology market, and formulating opinions on whether a client has the freedom to operate in a particular technology market. Prior to the legal profession, James worked for an automation manufacturer as a mechanical engineer. He was responsible for the mechanical design of powertrain assembly equipment. The design process included using computer aided design programs to generate the required mechanical drawings. James also worked for a large automotive OEM as a powertrain production supervisor. He was responsible for the daily operations of the department that produced the output shaft of the transmission. This included ensuring the efficiency and troubleshooting of the production machinery when a problem occurred. James is a graduate from the University of Toledo Law School. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Mechanical Engineering. James is a registered patent attorney and a member of the bar for the State of Michigan and the Federal District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan. In his free time, James likes to spend time on the water in his boat. He also enjoys the non-motorized time on the water and is an experienced oarsman. In 2015, he competed and won a master’s national championship in rowing.

Rachel Smith has a wide range of knowledge stemming from her extensive experience over the past two decades. With a degree in Electrical Engineering, she focuses on software, supplier, and medical device businesses, aiming to ensure that their IP protection aligns with their business needs and goals. Rachel is a registered patent attorney and focuses primarily on domestic and foreign patent prosecution in the electrical arts. Rachel consults clients from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups. She enjoys working closely with clients to counsel them on how to best protect their intellectual property based on their specific business goals. Rachel has a deep understanding of various technologies in mechanical and electrical arts. In particular, she has extensive experience prosecuting patent applications in consumer electronics, automotive, medical device, and network technologies. Her practice further includes drafting patentability, infringement, validity and freedom to operate opinions. Rachel’s practice also includes consulting clients on open source software license agreements. She works with clients to understand complex software licenses and copyright matters. Rachel has worked with the firm’s open source team to perform software audits on complex systems and has advised clients on software license obligations while assisting in compliance solutions. To compliment her client’s needs, Rachel also has experience preparing, reviewing, and negotiating agreements involving intellectual property, including licenses, confidentiality agreements, master services agreements, and others, with a focus on open source and indemnification provisions often included therein. Rachel received a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Ohio Northern University. During law school Rachel was a member and officer of the Wayne State Intellectual Property Student Association (WIPSA) and earned the Silver Key Award for academic achievement. At Ohio Northern University she was active in several student groups holding numerous leadership positions. Rachel served as president of both the student chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and her social sorority. Prior to attending law school, Rachel gained electronics hardware and software experience while working as an intern at an avionics safety company in Columbus, OH. Rachel loves a good Disney Cruise (she's a Gold level member) and can be found on her Peloton bike.

John Rondini is a multi-faceted attorney with extensive knowledge in litigation, negotiating settlements, and licensing agreements. John’s practice includes representing clients in patent prosecution, litigation, and cyber security and data privacy matters. In recognizing the pending threat of cyber-incidents his clients may face, John has worked to help develop Brook Kushman’s Cybersecurity and Data Privacy group. John’s experience includes assessing a client’s current cybersecurity and data privacy protocols and developing a comprehensive incident response plan to ensure compliance with applicable laws. John also assists his client’s in determining the potential root cause of a breach and what type of notification may be necessary. John also has experience in addressing information and data security requirements for his clients during both vendor contractual or M&A transactions. John has also represented client’s litigation matters at the district court and appellate level, as well as, before the International Trade Commission. John has actively managed each stage of litigation from pre-suit pleadings through trial, and through appeal. John has also represented his client’s needs in negotiating settlements and licensing agreements. While representing one client’s litigation needs, John became involved in developing and growing Brooks Kushman’s Post-Grant Proceedings team. As a result, John was part of a team that handled 25 inter partes review proceedings that invalidated hundreds of patent claims being asserted against that client. John has also managed the patent prosecution docket for clients that range from Fortune 500 companies to individual inventors. John’s prosecution experience includes handling a patent application from an initial draft through allowance. Relying on his litigation and prosecution experience, John’s has also handled numerous patentability and clearance opinions on behalf of his clients. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, John worked for nearly ten years as a hardware design and software engineer in the automotive and semi-conductor industries. This work provided John with invaluable experience that helps him further counsel his client’s intellectual property needs.

Jeffrey Szuma is a registered patent attorney who specializes in patent prosecution and investigations, as well as post-grant proceedings including reexaminations and Inter Partes reviews. He has also been involved in both trial and appellate level patent litigation. Jeff received his M.S. degree in information systems & technology (computer information systems) and his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan. He has three decades of experience as a patent attorney with Brooks Kushman, and during that time has helped to build the firm’s nationally recognized practice. Jeff has extensive experience preparing and prosecuting patent applications, investigating patent infringement and validity issues, and handling post-grant proceedings relating to a wide variety of computer and electrical technologies such as data storage and management systems, microprocessors, network services, data encryption, wireless communication, transducers, VoIP, interactive media services, and digital content delivery. He also has extensive experience with automotive related technologies for OEM and Tier I clients, including electrical subsystem control, information and entertainment systems, electrical connectors, battery monitoring, wireless communication systems such as tire pressure monitoring and remote entry systems, electric and hybrid vehicle subsystems, and autonomous vehicle systems. He also served for two years at Lear Corporation, a Tier I automotive supplier, as acting Division Intellectual Property (IP) Counsel for their Electronic Systems Division. In that capacity, he assisted in the operation and management of Lear's IP department and had a diverse array of responsibilities, including counseling management on strategic patent procurement, investigation, litigation, and budget matters. Jeff is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association, the Intellectual Property Law section of the State Bar of Michigan, and the Intellectual Property group of the Federalist Society. He is a past President of the Detroit Catholic Central High School Dads' Club and is active at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Plymouth, Michigan.

James Kallis is an insightful patent attorney who provides his clients with high-quality intellectual property advice and a deep understanding of patent preparation and prosecution tasks. James focuses primarily on domestic and foreign patent prosecution and preparation. He has written over one thousand patent applications for applicants ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small niche companies to independent inventors. James also performs patent analysis in which he has written non-infringement and invalidity opinion letters and conducted a multitude of novelty and state-of-the-art studies. James has a great understanding of a wide array of patent office procedures from handling a multitude of different types of patent preparation and prosecution tasks. He is experienced in all aspects of U.S. patent prosecution including examiner interviews, appeals, petitions, reexaminations, and reissues. In addition to preparing and prosecuting his own patent applications, James is especially adept at prosecuting patent applications based on previously filed foreign patent applications. He regularly collaborates with foreign counsel in obtaining European, German, Chinese, Mexican, and Japanese patents. He has successfully obtained dozens of favorable patent application appeal decisions from the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences at the U.S. Patent Office. James appreciates the importance of patents to his clients and handles patent prosecution with this appreciation in mind. One patent that James prosecuted (U.S. Patent No. 6,785,825 relating to technology for reducing computer software piracy) was successfully enforced by Brooks Kushman P.C. along with another patent resulting in a $133 million jury verdict that was affirmed by the Federal Circuit (z4 v. Microsoft Corporation and Autodesk, Inc.). From this experience, James understands what it is like to be deposed and testify during a trial and to have patents scrutinized by opposing counsel and trial and appeal courts. James applies this unique perspective in his patent preparation and prosecution practice. James started his employment with Brooks Kushman as a law clerk while a full-time law student at Wayne State University. He then began practicing as an attorney with Brooks Kushman after passing the Michigan State Bar Exam.

Alena Marconi is an experienced, hands-on patent prosecution attorney with an extensive background in chemical, materials, and environmental solutions sciences. She guides and advises her clients with high-quality legal advice and strategic thinking. Alena’s practice focuses on domestic and foreign patent prosecution in the chemical, materials science, green tech, and mechanical arts. She counsels clients of all sizes in a wide range of industries including automotive, chemical, horticultural applications, environmental remediation, green technologies, alternative energy generation, industrial processes, medical devices, polymers, coatings, fuel cells, batteries, catalytic converters, packaging, and additives. Alena is admitted to practice in Michigan and before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan. Alena holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Materials Technology from Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Czech Republic, as well as a Master of Science in Chemistry from Oakland University. Her undergraduate, graduate studies, and research focused on macromolecular chemistry, environmental technology, and toxicology. Ms. Vackova graduated magna cum laude from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School in May 2012 with a Juris Doctor degree. During her law school studies, she earned five certificates of merit and served as an Assistant Board Editor on the Cooley Law School Law Review as well as a Secretary for the Student Intellectual Property Law Association and Veterans Organization. Besides English, Alena is fluent in Czech, Slovak, and has a working knowledge of German and additional Slavic languages. In her free time, she’s an avid photographer who loves to spend time with her family exploring Michigan and the rest of the world or running 5K races.