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.

Christopher Francis is an experienced intellectual property attorney specializing in patent and trademark portfolio management, patent prosecution, and strategic IP counseling for clients across diverse industries. Christopher Francis is a skilled intellectual property attorney with extensive experience in preparing and prosecuting U.S. and international patent applications. He provides comprehensive counsel to clients on all aspects of intellectual property matters, including strategically developing and managing patent and trademark portfolios that align with a client’s business objective and product lines. Chris also supports clients with intellectual property due diligence investigations during mergers and acquisitions. Chris has a broad technical background, having prepared and prosecuted mechanical, software, and electrical patent applications in numerous technologies and industries. He also advises clients on complex patent matters, including freedom to operate investigations, infringement, validity opinions, and product design strategies to navigate around existing patents. His expertise includes aligning intellectual property strategies with a client’s business goals, a skill he honed during his tenure at a Metro-Detroit general practice law firm. Before pursuing his legal career, Chris was an engineer at General Motors, gaining valuable industry experience. He holds a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University College of Engineering. In his free time, Chris enjoys outdoor activities with his wife and children including backpacking, fishing, hunting, canoeing, and coaching youth baseball.

Libby Janda is an experienced trademark attorney with an extensive background in domestic and international trademark portfolios. Libby Janda serves as the Co-Chair of Brooks Kushman’s trademark practice, and has over 30 years of experience in intellectual property law. She manages substantial trademark portfolios both domestically and internationally, and works closely with a network of vetted international contacts that the firm has developed over the past decades. Libby handles trademark matters in a variety of industries, including the automotive field; restaurants and food products; advertising and marketing businesses; insurance enterprises; mortgage companies, banks and credit unions; and consumer products and services. She keeps her focus on her clients’ business goals and marketing strategies. She has managed several global trademark portfolios in a full range of fields, including automotive, toy and consumer goods, entertainment, advertising, food and beverage, and agricultural products. Libby brings a practical business perspective to her counselling, and works hard to build significant portfolios through an established network of trusted contacts throughout the world. She also enjoys working with smaller businesses and start-ups to support their growth and development. Libby's work encompasses selecting and clearing trademarks, prosecuting trademark applications, representing clients in trademark opposition and cancellation matters, drafting and negotiating licenses and other agreements relating to the use of trademarks and copyrights, and policing the unauthorized use or infringement of clients' rights. She further provides litigation support and consulting on trademark issues and matters. In addition, Libby assists advertising clients in the review of proper rules and regulations for specific types of product advertising, couponing and sampling. She brainstorms with clients to maintain the broadest possible protection within the realities of that client`s marketplace, taking full account of business goals in shaping an appropriate legal strategy.

Jim Kushman is the senior founding member of Brooks Kushman. His practice focuses on protection of inventions in the mechanical and electro-mechanical arts. With 50 years of intellectual property law experience, Jim has an in-depth understanding of various technologies, particularly in the automotive, glass processing, plastic blow molding, manufacturing, and consumer products industries. Jim continues to share his knowledge with the firm based on his experience with clients of all sizes, ranging from Fortune 500 Corporations to small and mid-sized companies. He takes a proactive approach to understand his clients’ business interests and align IP strategies with those interests in mind. He helps his clients identify “white-space” in the market for new product development and IP investment. Jim has a long-standing practice working with clients to manage global patent portfolios. He continues to counsel select clients on both domestic and international filings with respect to utility and design patents. Throughout his career, he has worked with companies around the world to manage patent portfolios.

Bill Conger is a patent prosecutor who is passionate about working with his clients and making extensive efforts to understand their inventions and technologies. As a patent lawyer and Co-Chair of Brooks Kushman's chemical practice, Bill instills trust and confidence in his clients. His clients know that they can rely on him to make important decisions that keep their best interests at heart at all times. When there are several alternative paths that can be taken, Bill is skilled at recognizing the one that makes the most business sense for his client. Bill makes extensive efforts to understand his client`s technology and their business goals, making frequent client visits, and even occasionally working on-site for extended periods. Bill works directly with inventors so that he can fully understand their inventions and maximize the scope of all related patents. As a result of his effectiveness and creativity, he has twice been named as a co-inventor on patents. Based on his experience as a former Director of Patents for BASF, Bill developed an extensive international practice, assisting foreign clients in filing applications for inventions first filed in other countries. Bill`s experience allows him to finesse the originally-filed foreign application to obtain the broadest possible protection in the United States, to reduce costs to the client, and to shorten prosecution as well. Bill also takes great pleasure in drafting original patent applications. He likens the process to writing the great American novel because it allows him to weave together a compelling persuasive argument that leaves the audience with enough information to understand the story being told, without encouraging them to start a new one. When not involved with technology or IP issues, Bill enjoys tennis, boating, and hunting for precious gemstones in various areas of the country, particularly the West and Northwest."

Charles Bieneman specializes in patent prosecution, counseling, and opinions for clients across industries such as automotive, telecommunications, and aerospace. Charles Bieneman is a seasoned intellectual property attorney specializing in patent prosecution, counseling, and opinions for clients in industries such as automotive, telecommunications, and aerospace. With a career spanning technical, legal, and managerial roles, Charles brings a multifaceted approach to providing comprehensive intellectual property strategies. Charles spent the early part of his career as a patent examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where he examined claim inventions in the areas of computer software, databases, and the World Wide Web. This foundational experience gave him an in-depth understanding of the patent examination process and the inner workings of the USPTO. Building on this, Charles held management positions with two computer software companies where he developed extensive expertise in software development, project management, and consulting, equipping him with a strong technical acumen and practical insights into product development and innovation. In addition, Charles also gained experience as an attorney with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Washington, D.C. office of a national law firm. Charles graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School where he was a Note Editor on the Michigan Law Review. He is also a graduate of the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Computer Science as well as a B.A. from St. John’s College in Sante Fe. In his free time, Charles likes hiking, cooking, and reading.

Brett J. Smith has a decade of experience securing domestic and foreign patents for clients ranging from small startups to large U.S. and global corporations. In addition to patent preparation and prosecution, he regularly conducts patentability investigations and infringement and freedom-to-operate analyses. He also negotiates and prepares intellectual property agreements, including licenses, joint development agreements, confidentiality agreements, and other types of commercial agreements involving IP. Brett counsels clients on privacy matters, advising on GDPR requirements and various state consumer privacy laws. His diverse practice includes IP litigation and patent post-issuance proceedings, providing clients with a full range of patent portfolio management tools. He has assisted in representing clients through all phases of litigation, from discovery to trial. Brett works with clients across a variety of technical fields, including automotive technologies, commercial vehicles, aviation technologies, robotics manufacturing, medical devices, garage door systems, irrigation products, packaging, consumer products, electronic products, acoustic devices, industrial systems, information technology, and agricultural machinery. Brett is committed to understanding each client’s business, allowing him to tailor his approach to their specific needs and help them achieve their business goals.

Abdulai Rashid is a skilled attorney with experience in the biomedical and automotive industries. Abdulai Rashid focuses his practice on patent prosecution and litigation in the biomedical and automotive fields. He has experience in contract drafting for trademark applications, as well as aiding clients with turning their ideas into businesses or patentable inventions. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, Abdulai gained extensive experience in dispute resolution after founding Penn State Law’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Program. During this time, he coordinated 20 students through 8 competitions in negotiation and mediation. He also participated in the Penn State Law Intellectual Property Clinic in which he was responsible for connecting the Pennsylvania community to counsel and resources to drive businesses and link them to various invention development centers and opportunities. Abdulai holds a Juris Doctor from Penn State Law School. He also received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Central Methodist University. Outside of the office, Abdulai enjoys weightlifting, yoga, running, and building figurines.