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.

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.

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.

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.

of experience, Frank has successfully tried patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright cases in Federal Courts nationwide, the Courts of Appeals for the Sixth and Federal Circuits, and the International Trade Commission. As a registered patent attorney , Frank is authorized to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Frank has been lead counsel for a wide variety of clients, from individuals to major corporations, in intellectual property and commercial litigation matters. His litigation experience spans across various technologies and industries including, automotive, consumer electronics, industrial technologies, food and beverage, and home appliances. Frank’s practice also includes post-grant proceedings. He works with clients to challenge or defend patents through administrative trial procedures created under the America Invents Act (AIA). In addition to counseling clients, he has been a vital component in developing Brooks Kushman’s Post-Grant Proceedings practice by mentoring and training other attorneys. Early on in his career, Frank served as a law clerk to the Hon. Glenn L. Archer, Jr., former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. This experience led to involvement in almost 100 appeals over the course of his career and Frank currently leads Brooks’ Appellate Litigation Group. Frank also serves on the Board of Directors for Challenge Detroit, a revitalization effort designed to attract and retain new talent in the City of Detroit.

Mark Cantor specializes in trademark litigation and has tried various cases involving patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights. Mark is one of the founders of the firm and has been with the firm as a Shareholder since 1983. He has over 35 years of IP litigation experience. He has extensive experience in dealing with complex litigation matters in all technology areas and has tried cases relating to patents, trademarks, trade secrets and copyrights in state and federal courts and administrative tribunals throughout the country and in a number of international forums. Mark takes a special interest in his client’s IP goals by understanding how their strategies align with their business interests. He creates tailored strategies by understanding the commercial realities and working on a plan of action that is cost-effective but still provides an enforceable competitive edge for the client. Mark is specifically recognized for his trademark litigation practice. Due to his success in this field, several of Brooks Kushman’s largest clients look to Mark for trademark enforcement matters. He has also been recognized by many of the industry’s leading publications for his in-court victories, including obtaining the largest trademark jury verdict in Michigan history. Mark has handled inter partes administrative proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the International Trade Commission. Mark has been extremely active in a number of cases involving insurance coverage in intellectual property cases, to try and reduce the cost of litigation to the client. In addition to specializing in IP litigation, Mark also has a particular skill for negotiating business focused resolutions. Mark has a knack for developing creative solutions to resolve seemingly intractable disputes by fashioning a settlement based on business realities. Additionally, Mark has an active practice advising clients on the acquisition, management and licensing of intellectual property. He has worked with many clients to develop a management strategy to enable clients to accurately and efficiently manage and monetize their intellectual property portfolios. Mark served as President of the firm from 2007-2018. He has also served as General Counsel of the firm for over two decades and continues in that role today.

Tom Cunningham is an accomplished, hands-on attorney who takes a client-centered approach to his practice. Tom has twenty-five years of experience litigating intellectual property cases on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants in federal courts all over the country. Tom’s cases have involved a wide range of technologies including automotive and locomotive developments, e-commerce systems, light-emitting diode applications, biotechnology, numerous consumer products, dietary supplements and computer software. Tom has also handled numerous appeals before the Federal Circuit, 5th and 6th Circuit Courts of Appeal. Tom actively advises clients on the management, enforcement and licensing of intellectual property. He has also worked closely with clients to help them avoid the intellectual property of others, including participating in designing around patents. Tom builds the trust of his clients by maintaining close contact. He believes that to adequately counsel his clients, it is necessary to develop a full understanding of the clients’ business and its goals. By doing what he promises and following up on a regular basis, Tom has been successful in building long-term relationships with his clients.

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.

Marc is the Co-Chair of Brooks Kushman's intellectual property litigation practice. He has been instrumental in building, developing, and growing the team. Throughout his career, Marc has successfully tried patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright cases in Federal Courts nationwide. Marc has successfully argued appeals before the Federal Circuit including a leading decision on 101 jurisprudence, Ancora Techs., Inc. v. HTC Americas, Inc., 908 F.3d 1343 (Fed. Cir. 2018). Marc, as lead counsel, has also been prevailed in several investigations as both Complainant and Respondent in the International Trade Commission. Marc has extensive litigation experience from jury selection; presenting opening statements; examining (direct and cross) fact and expert witnesses; giving closing arguments; conducting Markman hearings; successfully arguing preliminary injunction motions; drafting successful discovery briefs, claim construction briefs, summary judgment briefs, and appeal briefs; managing electronic discovery activities; coordinating large document productions; and negotiating settlement, licensing and acquisition agreements. Marc’s current practice includes experience with Post-Grant Proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He has counseled clients in over 50 proceedings, and these proceedings continue to play major role in his patent litigation strategy. Marc has also been involved in several re-examination requests and the associated prosecution relating to patents in litigation. Marc graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2001. Marc was the valedictorian of his graduating class and was an editor of the Law Review. Marc has a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated magna cum laude. Marc’s degrees and work experience in both mechanical and chemical engineering allow him to handle cases involving many different technologies. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, Marc Lorelli was a patent agent at an automotive corporation. During his three years in that role, he gained extensive experience in preparing and prosecuting chemical, mechanical and electrical patent applications. Marc understands how to meet his clients’ patent prosecution needs, since he was a client himself. Marc learned first-hand about client expectations and how best to service clients. This experience is invaluable to Marc’s current practice, which involves a great deal of client counseling in both prosecution and litigation matters. Outside of the office, Marc enjoys family ski vacations out west, but otherwise stays busy with his three daughters who all play hockey. Marc plays hockey himself, and tries to catch the occasional round of golf in what little free time he has.