Francesca Cusumano-Gibson is a skilled IP litigator who is passionate about helping her clients protect their assets. Francesca Cusumano-Gibson focuses her practice on intellectual property litigation, patent preparation, and patent prosecution. Francesca works in a variety of technology areas including industrial chemicals, materials sciences, and automotive systems. Francesca works hard to develop and implement IP enforcement strategies to fit their business needs. She brings a client-focused approach to her practice, working alongside her clients to understand and support their goals. Francesca holds a Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University Law School. While there, Francesca participated in the patent procurement clinic preparing patent applications for local Michigan entrepreneurs and inventors. She represented the law school as a member of the Mock Trial National Team, competing at the American Association of Justice’s Student Advocacy Competition. Francesca also was active as the President of Wayne State’s Intellectual Property Student Association and participated in Wayne State’s Student Board of Governors as Governor-at-Large. Prior to that, Francesca graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, the most rigorous degree in pure chemistry offered by the University, and a minor in Moral and Political Philosophy. Francesca received University Honors throughout her time at the University. During her time there, she volunteered in a Physical Chemistry Lab as a student researcher. On her personal time, Francesca enjoys cheering on University of Michigan sports teams, cooking her way through cookbooks, visiting unconventional museums, and travelling to visit friends.

Reid is an experienced patent professional with a well-rounded background, serving in both in-house and outside counsel positions. He applies this experience to make strategic patent decisions on behalf of his clients. Reid is a registered patent attorney with over 20 years of patent experience in the electrical and mechanical arts. He is experienced in all phases of patent prosecution, from formulating an invention disclosure to appealing claims with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Reid has experience working with clients of various sizes, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small start-ups. Reid has extensive experience with a variety of technologies in many industries. Prior to entering the legal profession, Reid was a technical specialist at an automotive OEM. In that capacity, he was an inventor on over 25 patents in the areas of planetary, layshaft, and hybrid transmission arrangements, actuator mechanisms, and control algorithms. Reid also worked in the Aerospace industry performing conceptual design of launch vehicles and satellites. His formal education includes a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Michigan State University. Reid graduated summa cum laude from Michigan State University College of Law, where he was a King Scholar and a member of MSU Law Review. He represented MSU in the Giles Sutherland Rich patent law moot court competition and in the Saul Lefkowitz trademark law moot court competition.

Andrew Turner is a skilled patent attorney who focuses on post-grant proceedings and patent prosecution and has worked with a variety of clients in diverse technical fields including audio and lighting systems, exercise equipment , and autonomous and electrified vehicle systems. Andrew is a registered patent attorney, with degrees in both electrical and mechanical engineering, and focuses his practice on patent prosecution and post-grant proceedings. He co-chairs Brook’s post-grant proceedings practice group and has worked on over 50 IPR proceedings representing petitioners and patent owners. Andrew also has experience with reexaminations, reissues, and appeals to the Federal Circuit. His practice also includes intellectual portfolio management and opinion preparation. Andrew has extensive experience with autonomous and electrified vehicle systems, LED lighting systems, audio systems, electric machines, controls, electronics, and exercise equipment. Andrew has worked with clients of various sizes, from individual entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies. He particularly enjoys working with innovative people in different sectors and helping clients solve complex issues. He excels at developing strategies for prosecuting patent applications and challenging/defending patents. Prior to his legal career, Andrew was an engineer in the automotive industry. He worked on the development of several electro-mechanical systems including adjustable pedals, brake systems, and battery charging systems. Andrew utilizes his engineering industry experience to counsel clients in view of their business concerns and to communicate with inventors and patent examiners on technical issues.

Zachary conducts penetration tests to identify vulnerabilities, evaluate defenses, and strengthen security. He analyzes stored data through discovery and classification to ensure compliance with regulations. Additionally, he supports cyber incident response by identifying, mitigating, and documenting security incidents to minimize impact and prevent recurrence. Zachary is a privacy and security analyst with a background in cybersecurity, including encryption, access control, physical security, training, threat analysis, and authentication. He supports organizations in addressing security challenges and improving their defenses. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity from Kennesaw State University, graduating magna cum laude, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Cybersecurity at Eastern Michigan University.

Jessica is an interdisciplinary mechanical engineer and materials scientist who performs prior art searches for patent prosecution, clearance opinions and patent validity studies. She supports clients in the patent process by providing data to strengthen their position in determining whether to patent an inventive concept, whether there is freedom to operate in a technical area, the state of the art of a specific technology market and if there is any white space within that technology market. She also provides assistance to other attorneys with intellectual property negotiations, settlements and litigation. Jessica received her doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Florida with a research focus on the synthesis of functionalized nanomaterials, and was the recipient of the prestigious National Science Foundation GK-12 Fellowship. After graduating, she was awarded an American Society for Engineering Education/NSF Corporate Postdoctoral Fellowship to pursue research in battery science at General Motors. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, Jessica worked as a research associate with Nissan Technical Center North America where she was an inventor on numerous patent applications related to battery technology. She has over ten years of experience in evaluation of materials for novel interdisciplinary applications, design, warranty and failure mode analysis; and has worked on research projects including: the synthesis and functionalization of nanomaterials for bio- and chemical sensing applications; an on-chip thermoelectric device using patterned nanowires; and lithium ion battery material development and diagnostics. Much of Jessica's time outside of work time is spent volunteering in various capacities to promote STEM education and leadership skills in girls. Of these positions, she is most active as a Troop Leader for a local Girl Scout troop, and a Team Coach for a FIRST LEGO League Jr. team. Jessica also enjoys teaching her two daughters how to grow an organic garden.

James Mueller is a veteran patent researcher who is motivated daily to find the best prior art for his clients. James is an experienced patent researcher who has conducted several thousand novelty, clearance, invalidity and state-of-the-art searches. He works with the Brooks Kushman prosecution and litigation teams for prior art in patent prosecution, invalidity studies, and post-grant reviews. He is a registered patent practitioner (Agent) and assists the prosecution team with patent application matters. He is an active member of the Patent Information User Group (PIUG) and regularly attends PIUG educational webinars in order to stay current with the best practices of patent search methodology. He has a particular interest in understanding how artificial intelligence is impacting patent research. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, James worked for nearly two decades at a leading patent research firm based near the USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, VA. Clients ranged from multinational corporations to leading law firms to individual inventors in a wide range of technologies such as automotive components, medical devices, manufacturing processes, and educational products. He also provided management and mentoring to new employees in developing and executing effective search strategies. Before becoming a patent researcher, James began his career an analyst at a leading information and analytics company specializing in legal, regulatory, and business data services. He then spent several formative years as a systems analyst, project manager, and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer at a prominent telecommunications company. He completed the scientific and technical training requirements for the USPTO Registration Examination in physics at George Mason University. In addition, he holds a master’s degree from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware. In James’ spare time, he enjoys travelling with his wife and daughters, playing golf, and going on outings with the family boxer Leo.

Leen Mosa is an associate at Brooks Kushman with a background in mechanical engineering and experience in the automotive industry. Before joining the firm, she worked as a Summer Associate at Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox in Washington, D.C., focusing on mechanical and design patent prosecution, and as a Summer Associate at Brooks Kushman assisting on patent litigation matters. She also served as a Staff Editor for the Notre Dame Journal of Legislation and represented Notre Dame in the National Trial Competition earning Notre Dame’s Kyle D. Smith Excellence in Trial Advocacy award. Prior to law school, Leen held engineering roles at Ford Motor Company and ZF Group, where she worked on advanced driver-assistance systems. This combination of technical and legal experience informs her growing interest in patent prosecution, patent litigation, and matters before the International Trade Commission (ITC).