Lawrence J. Buckfire (Larry Buckfire) earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Michigan in 1986 and his juris doctor degree from Wayne State University School of Law in 1989. He has been in private practice since successfully completing the bar exam in 1989. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan, State of Ohio, and in the United States District Court. Lawrence is the lead trial attorney and managing partner at Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. The law firm was founded in 1969 by his father David Buckfire with the principle of representing clients with the highest degree of integrity, compassion, and professionalism. Lawrence’s mother, Vicky Buckfire, joined David in the firm several years later. Lawrence and Daniel both joined their parents upon their completion of law school. Mr. Buckfire has devoted his legal career to helping the most vulnerable members of our society, children and the elderly. He specializes in child lead paint poisoning, wrongful death, nursing home neglect, medical malpractice, and other serious injury cases. “Successfully pursuing these cases is the best way to protect the members of our community from future harm,” said Larry.

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.

Dondi R. Vesprini earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 1996 from Oakland University with a minor in Sociology. He earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1999 from the University of Detroit – Mercy School of Law where he was on the Moot Court Board of Directors, represented the law school in national moot court competition, and was a member of the St. Thomas More Society. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan, the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan, the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to joining Buckfire & Buckfire, Dondi worked for 11 years as a trial attorney for the Law Offices of Lawrence S. Katkowsky, P.C., which specialized in motorcycle accidents. Previously, Dondi worked for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for two years where he tried felony drug cases and also worked on criminal appeals. Dondi has recovered millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for his injured clients and specializes in issues affecting motorcyclists such as motorcycle accidents, roadway defect accidents, and Michigan No Fault claims. He also litigates wrongful death, automobile negligence, slip and fall, dog bite attacks, and other personal injury matters. In addition to trial work, he has also argued cases in front of the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dondi’s advocacy extends beyond the courtroom as he proposes legislation and meets with the Governor’s office, legislators and lobbyists regarding legislation affecting injured motorcyclists and non-motorcyclists alike, including but not limited to the Michigan motorcycle helmet law and fighting to preserve Michigan’s No Fault system and the benefits it provides to injured people. He recently drafted an amendment to MCL 500.3114, which was formally introduced as House Bill 4809 on May 6, 2021.

Robyn Lederman is a trademark attorney who works extensively with her clients on cost-effective strategies to solve issues related to trademark clearance, prosecution, and a wide array of enforcement strategies. With more than 25 years of experience practicing in the area of trademark law, Robyn Lederman specializes in global branding strategy, trademark and domain name counseling, clearance, protection and enforcement for start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Robyn works extensively with company legal, marketing and business development groups to devise cost-effective strategies to achieve marketing goals. She works with her clients on issues involving anti-counterfeiting, copyright, domain name recovery, IP due diligence, licensing, trade dress and unfair competition. She represents clients in varied industries including agricultural, automotive, bio-tech, consumer products, cosmetics, entertainment, financial services, high-tech and homeland security. Along with managing U.S. trademark portfolios for her clients, Robyn has significant experience in obtaining trademark protection for her clients worldwide. Prior to Brooks Kushman, Robyn worked for more than seven years at a law firm in Israel as a trademark attorney and maintains her professional relationships in what has become known as “the start-up nation” by visiting clients and colleagues each year to keep them apprised of IP developments in the U.S. Robyn Lederman is brilliant at identifying optimal strategies for global brand protection and enforcement - and executing them. - World Trademark Review 1000 Robyn takes a special interest in connecting and creating partnerships between Israeli clients with Michigan universities, investors, and economic development organizations. She enjoys working with companies based in Israel that are expanding into the United States. Robyn is also on the Board of the Michigan Israel Business Bridge, a non-profit, member organization whose mission is to promote business and investment opportunities between Michigan and Israel Outside of Brooks Kushman, Robyn is very active in the community, educating young companies and start-ups on the practical impact of trademark law. She served for years as a mentor for Bizdom, a Detroit based business accelerator, where she often presented on how to effectively select names and build brand identity. Robyn is a Hamilton junkie who loves to brag about Detroit’s revival. She is in awe of Sheryl Sandberg, and continues to provide strong support for her alma mater, with all three children attending Michigan State University at the same time – Go Green!

Reza Roghani Esfahani is an IP litigation professional with a background in mechanical and chemical technologies. Reza's practice concentrates on intellectual property litigation, with a focus on patent litigation involving a wide range of technologies including mechanical, chemical, and pharmaceuticals. Reza also has experience in the preparation and prosecution of U.S. and foreign patent applications as well as intellectual property due diligence. Reza earned his Bachelor’s and Master's of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan. While pursuing his engineering degrees, Reza worked on projects directed at breast cancer therapy, live cell delivery, and the development of small molecule inhibitors of a human protein implicated in thrombosis. Additionally, Reza helped fabricate and functionalize microfluidic devices for isolating circulating tumor cells. Reza also has experience working on petroleum projects. In particular, his projects were directed toward the investigation of the aggregation kinetics of crude oil components. Reza holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan. For two years, Reza taught a senior-level Chemical Engineering course at the University of Michigan as a graduate student instructor. During his time at the University of Michigan, Reza was an active member of student organizations such as the Honor Society of Chemical Engineers and the Intellectual Property Student Association.

Amy helps clients develop and implement intellectual property enforcement strategies across online and offline channels. Her work spans targeted actions—such as UDRP actions, cease and desist letters, and reporting infringement to marketplaces, social media platforms, ISPs, and payment processors—to broader enforcement programs. For large-scale efforts, she assists clients to set up streamlined, tech-enabled solutions, including AI-driven automation, and manages relationships with brand enforcement vendors. She also maintains contacts at major online platforms to escalate issues when needed. On the criminal enforcement side, Amy works closely with federal agencies and law enforcement to build cases against IP offenders. She also designs programs to register IP with U.S. Customs and international customs offices to intercept counterfeit goods at borders. Amy is an experienced litigator who has successfully tried patent, trademark, trade secret, and copyright cases in federal courts nationwide and before the International Trade Commission. Her litigation practice focuses on discovery and eDiscovery in IP disputes. She also advises on trademark clearance, prosecution, and proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Before joining Brooks Kushman, Amy worked in the intellectual property department of a major automotive company, gaining valuable insight into client expectations from an in-house perspective. This experience enables her to anticipate internal corporate considerations and approach legal issues with an understanding of both in-house counsel and business team priorities.

Tom Lewry is an experienced patent litigator with a broad range of expertise in intellectual property matters as well as general business contracts, trade secret misappropriation, and shareholder derivative matters. Tom has over 40 years of experience in intellectual property litigation. He's handled everything from intellectual property disputes to general business conflicts, including fraud, breach of contract, tortious interference, trade secret misappropriation, breach of fiduciary duty, and shareholder derivative matters. Tom has tried cases in federal and state courts around the country. Tom has a wealth of litigation experience in a variety of technology areas and has successfully tried cases relating to patents, trademarks, trade secrets and copyrights in state and federal courts throughout the country. He’s driven the firm's adoption of innovative technology in the courtroom and for delivery of client information. Tom has been an Adjunct Professor at Wayne State Law School and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Michigan teach patent law fundamentals. Tom has traveled to all 50 states and all 7 continents and loves all things tech. Tom enjoys watching the sunset over Lake Michigan in Northern Michigan and learning history.

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.

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.

John LeRoy is a highly skilled litigation professional. He uses his electrical and mechanical engineering background, and two decades of intellectual property litigation experience, to represent his clients in high-tech legal disputes and complex licensing negotiations. John’s practice focuses on patent, trade secret and copyright litigation involving software, electronics, and mechanical systems. With over 20 years of experience, a Master’s degree in electrical engineering, and a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, he has successfully represented clients in many different industries. He focuses on efficiently resolving litigation disputes outside of the courtroom, leaving the jury trial as a “last resort.” And in the courtroom, John has won, and successfully defended against, multiple “$100+ million dollar” jury trials (and related appeals) involving complex technology and intellectual property claims. Leveraging his extensive software litigation experience, John leads the firm’s FRAND licensing and Open Source Software audit and compliance practice. With respect to FRAND licensing, John works with automotive OEMs and suppliers to address licensing standard essential patents for wireless communication technology. John also advises companies regarding effective use of open source software in their commercial products. He helps companies develop customized corporate policies and strategies for compliance with applicable open source license terms. John’s team manages source code audits and works closely with software developers and business managers to properly navigate the various open source license terms. John’s team has undertaken the audit-and-advice service on complex systems in the automotive, consumer electronics, medical device, and computer industries. John is devoted to his clients’ business interests. He brings a creative approach to his practice to solve the most complex issues his clients face. For example, John worked with several automotive companies to create the SmartDeviceLink Consortium, a thriving new organization of automotive companies managing an open source platform for communication between smart devices and automobiles. John is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. District Courts in the Eastern and Western District of Michigan, the Eastern District of Texas, the Western District of Wisconsin, and Colorado. John is also a registered patent attorney, and is authorized to practice before the U.S. Patent Office. John holds a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Buffalo, where he graduated cum laude. John’s background in both electrical and mechanical engineering allows him to handle patent cases involving many different technologies. John is a regular guest lecturer on Patent Fundamentals at the University of Michigan. John has also personally handled six pro bono civil actions, including a pro bono jury trial. Outside the office, John enjoys fishing and boating with his family in northern Michigan, playing ice hockey, and racing at the M1 Concourse. He is also a Pack Master for his local scout pack, which according to John, makes IP litigation look easy. Charities John regularly supports through donation and service include Alternatives for Girls, St. Jude, Gleaners Food Bank, and his local humane society.