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.

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.

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.

Chelsea Pasquali is an IP attorney who brings a client-centered approach to her practice and assures that her clients' business and legal goals are surpassed. Chelsea focuses her practice on intellectual property litigation with a focus on patent, trademark, trade dress, unfair competition, and copyright litigation. Her experience also includes representation of trademark owners in opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, as well as counseling clients on clearance, prosecution, false advertising, enforcement of trademarks and copyrights, and counseling on domain name issues and license agreements. Chelsea represents Fortune 500 Corporations, small businesses, and individuals in a variety of intellectual property claims. She regularly works with her clients to develop and implement IP enforcement strategies to fit their business needs. Throughout her career, she has successfully litigated a variety of cases in State and Federal Court. She has also successfully represented clients before the Michigan Court of Appeals. Chelsea brings a client-centric approach to her practice. She works alongside her clients to understand their business and legal goals, working with her clients as a part of their team. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, Pasquali’s practice focused on litigation in a variety of areas including general liability, product liability, and commercial litigation. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Outside of work, Chelsea can usually be found running, walking her dogs, or at the lake with her family. She is active in her community and responsible for planning neighborhood events in her subdivision. She enjoys spending Saturday mornings running races, most often with her kids at the finish line.

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.

Kyle Konz is an experienced patent attorney who takes the time to fully understand his clients’ technologies and business strategies to provide his clients with high-quality and tactical advice. Kyle focuses his practice on patent prosecution, post grant proceedings, and patent and trademark litigation. Kyle also manages trademark portfolios for several small businesses. Kyle works with a wide range of clients including Fortune 100 Corporations and small businesses. Kyle writes and prosecutes patent applications related to automotive, manufacturing, domestic appliances, and heating and cooling systems. A large part of Kyle current post grant and litigation practices relate to vehicle safety systems, connectivity, connected services, lighting, and exercise equipment. Kyle leverages his past engineering and hands-on experience to quickly learn inventions without requiring substantial time investments from inventors. Kyle’s practical experience allows him to understand how a particular invention fits within the larger system enabling him to fully capture the invention in context with the client’s overall goals. This provides the client with a more cohesive and valuable patent portfolio. Prior to joining the firm, Kyle worked for a consulting firm, assisting in the design of commercial and residential developments. While there, Kyle focused on sewer systems, residential roadways, and drainage systems. Kyle is also a certified auto mechanic. Outside of the office, Kyle enjoys action sports. In the winter, he is often found on the slopes with his snowboard, while in the summer he can be found behind a boat on his wakeboard.

Dustin is an experienced IP practitioner with a vast array of technical experience. Dustin Zak is a registered patent attorney who focuses his practice on patent litigation and prosecution. Dustin possesses a vast range of technical experience ranging from chemical and material arts to software applications and artificial intelligence. Dustin has technical knowledge related to cyber security and computer technologies. During his studies, he has immersed himself in many technical topics including C++, Java, and visual basic programming, networking, open source networking, end-user computing, ethical hacking and offensive security, cyber intelligence, Linux security administration, information security, risk-vulnerability analysis, and digital forensics. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, Dustin spent more than 5 years gaining technical experience as a Research and Development Chemist at an automotive OEM supplier and in the automotive after-market refinish industry. In these roles he formulated, developed, and launched various products globally. He also participated in the creation and development of technology for measuring visual emissions for compliance with EPA method 9, and validated and generated performance criteria for raw materials including solvents, polymers, resins, pigments, additives, and final products. Dustin holds a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University graduating at the top of his class where he received the Governor’s Scholarship. He was also the Senior Articles Editor for the Wayne Law Review and a Mock Trial member. Dustin also participated in the patent procurement clinic preparing patent applications for Detroit entrepreneurs and inventors. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Polymers and Coatings Technology from Eastern Michigan University, where he received the Recognition of Excellence Scholarship, the College of technology Coating Scholarship, and the Charles Parker Scholarship.

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!

Erin Bowles is an experienced patent attorney with a well-rounded background in counseling domestic and international clients. She applies her industry experience and expansive understanding of mechanical, material and electrical technologies to her practice. Erin's practice involves counseling domestic and international clients from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies on their intellectual property portfolios, with a focus on obtaining domestic and foreign patents and handling patent prosecution procedures. Her practice also includes patentability investigations, infringement and right-to-use analysis, and intellectual property transactions and licensing agreements, trademark, trade dress, and copyright issues. Erin has an expansive understanding of various mechanical and electromechanical technologies. In particular, she has experience representing clients and protecting intellectual property rights in the alternative energy, medical device, automotive technology, optics and lighting, aviation technology, and personal care product industries, among others. Erin brings nearly a decade of engineering experience to her law practice. During this time, Erin gained technical experience in a broad range of positions including product design, manufacturing, program management and technical sales. These experiences provide Erin with an expansive understanding of broad range of technologies such as solar power, plastic injection molding, and complex automotive sensors and control systems. While working for major international companies, Erin's involvement extended beyond daily engineering activities and crossed international boundaries. For example, Erin managed the development of advanced components from a network of global facilities and coordinated with foreign subsidiaries to design and manufacture products for international programs. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, Erin worked at an intellectual property firm, as well as in the legal department of an automotive original equipment manufacturer. She also studied international patent law at the Max Plank Institute in Munich. While in Munich, Erin learned about the patent process at the European Patent Office and met with the intellectual property departments of several international companies. This combination of diverse experiences provides Erin with an excellent understanding of the many aspects of intellectual property. Moreover, Erin's experience gives her insight into the intellectual property management challenges for both domestic and international companies in today`s global marketplace. When she is not at the office, you are most likely to find Erin on the water paddle boarding, waterskiing, wake surfing, kiteboarding, or pretty much any water sport. She also enjoys travelling, and her goal is to visit a new country every year.

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.