William Abbatt is a skilled patent attorney with experience in foreign and domestic patent prosecution matters. He has a background in varying disciplines including manufacturing, chemistry, and medical devices. With 35+ years of experience as a patent attorney, Bill’s practice involves all aspects of domestic and foreign patent preparation, prosecution, and assertion, including dispute resolution. He regularly advises clients on the development and management of patent portfolios. Bill’s practice includes counseling on how to protect various aspects of inventions and monetize them by sale and licensing. Bill has managed intellectual property matters in many technical disciplines including manufacturing, metallurgy, chemistry, medical devices, and aeronautics. His background in industry plus his diverse experience in writing and prosecuting hundreds of patents enable Bill to spot the strengths and weaknesses in a patent when a dispute or enforcement issue arises. He has an affinity for working with emerging entities whose value can be enhanced by effective intellectual property portfolio creation and management to help his clients’ businesses succeed. In one case, he introduced two separate clients – a physician and an entrepreneur – and brought them together to develop and protect medical devices to treat patients and enhance the quality of their lives. Bill is a member of the Federal Bar Association – Eastern District of Michigan Chapter and currently serves as a co-chair of the Intellectual Property Law Section. He is a former council member of the Aviation Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. Bill is a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation and a Master of the Bench (American Inns of Court). He was an adjunct professor of patent law at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Bill received Super Lawyers designation for 2006 - 2012, 2024. He was selected for this honor subsequent to undergoing an evaluation of many different factors including peer recognition and professional achievement. Bill also served on the steering committee that formed the Michigan Intellectual Property American Inns of Court Chapter and was its President (2017-18). The Michigan Intellectual Property Inn of Court is a philanthropic organization of judges, lawyers and legal educators that seeks to promote fair and ethical practice amongst junior lawyers and law students. Bill helped to found the Inn and was enthusiastic about moving into a leadership role. Bill was able to take the organization forward, while staying true to its initial goal of promoting excellence in advocacy amongst those it mentors. Bill holds a Juris Doctor from Detroit College of Law. Before that, Bill graduated with an M.S. in Operations Research & Production Engineering and a B.S. in Metallurgy & Material Sciences at the University of London, England. He has been appointed an Expert Adviser and Facilitative Mediator in the Federal District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. Outside the office, Bill enjoys flying his Beechcraft Debonair airplane, skiing, playing golf and tennis, working out, and traveling to England, his birthplace. He and his wife Candyce count Vail Colorado and Ft Lauderdale as favorite haunts. Bill holds an Airline Transport Pilot rating, a Commercial pilot’s license, and is a Certified Flight Instructor.

Mike Cicero, now in his 35th year of private practice, continues to learn and add to his diverse array of intellectual property law experience. Although Mike primarily focuses on the preparation and prosecution of patent applications, as well as opinions, his practice also encompasses trademark prosecution, copyright matters, and intellectual property litigation. Examples of patent applications that Mike drafted over the past decade include a system for remotely monitoring feed environment; a friction reduction pile jacket; a wearable interactive notification device and interactive monitoring system; broadcast messaging and methods of communicating hail messages in utility networks; and an elevator monitoring system, protected by a utility patent for the system and two design patents for graphical user interfaces. Mike’s patent litigation experience includes Markman (patent claim interpretation) proceedings, trials, motion practice, and expert-related discovery. A significant portion of his experience further extends to trademark and copyright infringement litigation, which enabled him to author the trademark and copyright infringement portions of a chapter titled “IP Litigation,” appearing in the 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024, and 2026 Editions of the book Georgia Business Litigation.

Emily Wisniewski is an intellectual property and business lawyer. Emily focuses her practice on helping businesses and individuals protect and build value with their brands. Emily’s practice encompasses a wide range of intellectual property services, including trademarks, copyrights, trade dress, and trade secrets. She advises clients on brand development, handles trademark and copyright registration applications, intellectual property licensing, and the sale and transfer of intellectual property. In addition, Emily advises clients on business formation, startup matters, contracts, regulatory matters, and everyday operations. Emily has extensive experience forming and advising tax-exempt and 501(c)(3) organizations. Emily works with clients to buy and sell businesses, including transaction structuring, negotiating, due diligence, and document drafting.

Kurt Heise has more than 30 years’ experience as a municipal, labor, and environmental attorney. He previously served as Assistant City Attorney in Dearborn Heights, Garden City, and Woodhaven, and as the Mayor’s Deputy in Dearborn Heights. Heise also served as Director of the Wayne County Department of Environment and County Drain Commissioner for six years, where he managed Michigan’s second-largest environmental protection agency with 145 employes and a $150 million annual budget. From 2010 to 2016, Heise served as State Representative for the 20th House District, covering Plymouth, Northville, and eastern Canton. As State Rep, Heise chaired the House Criminal Justice Committee where he sponsored 39 public acts, including the creation of the Michigan Human Trafficking Commission. From 2016 to 2024, Kurt served as Plymouth Township Supervisor, a full-time municipal CEO position responsible for a $24 million annual general fund budget and roughly 100 employees including full-time police, fire, public works, and clerical staff. During his tenure, Heise rebuilt the township’s first responder services and negotiated 12 public sector labor union contracts. Heise’s relentless economic development efforts generated more than half a billion dollars in private-sector investment in the township. From 2017 to 2021, Heise was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to serve as Commissioner to the Huron-Clinton Metropark Authority, representing Michigan residents.

Richard Hoeg graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 2005, finishing in the top five of his class. He began his career at some of Michigan’s largest law firms, becoming an equity partner at Honigman in 2014. While at Honigman, he co-authored updates to Michigan Corporation Law and Practice, one of the leading treatises on corporate law in Michigan, with his colleague Cyril Moscow. In 2016, Richard founded his own practice with the goal of delivering high-quality legal services to small businesses. Beyond his legal practice, he has developed a strong presence in digital media. Since 2018, he has contributed to outlets such as MGoBlog and various streaming platforms, including his YouTube channel and the show “Virtual Legality,” which explores business and legal issues in popular culture. He also co-hosts the weekly talk show Bitcast for Seasoned Gaming and serves as a legal contributor to Last Stand Media. Richard is regularly quoted in both the gaming industry and mainstream outlets on legal and business topics.

Data & Privacy Strategist | Legal & Tech Advisor | AI & Digital Innovation

Attorney Lawrence D. Thurswell specializes in Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). He is also an expert in cases involving auto accidents, slip and fall accidents, dog bites, and medical malpractice. Following his father and grandfather, Lawrence D. Thurswell is a third-generation attorney. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona in 1995 and his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 1998, where he received academic awards and an Excellence for the Future award for his outstanding achievements.

Ronald French is a practicing lawyer in the state of Michigan.

Linda Kim worked as an immigration lawyer and as in-house counsel for a consulting firm before joining FGI’s office in Fremont, California. Working as an in-house counsel gave her important insights into how corporations develop and pursue their talent mobility objectives, and how they balance corporate responsibility with the law. “You need both,” she says, “to be successful in your application of immigration law to achieve in business.” For Linda, immigration law is “a great opportunity to help people and make a difference in their lives.” She specializes in H-1B and PERM cases for many of FGI’s high-tech and IT clients. She takes pride in her ability to help clients navigate the petitioning process and achieve their immigration goals. “I believe an attorney should provide an honest and knowledgeable assessment of the law,” she avers, “to best meet their clients’ business needs.” A member of AILA, Linda completed a B.A. degree from the University of California, Davis, and her J.D. from the School of Law at Western New England University in Springfield, Massachusetts. She also enjoys travel (China, Japan, Singapore, Mexico), running, cooking, and fine cuisine.

Jennifer Ziegler is an experienced trademark attorney who works with clients across a wide spectrum of industries to solve complex issues, including global brand protection and enforcement, anti-counterfeiting, copyright, and licensing. With over 27 years of combined experience as in-house and outside counsel practicing in the areas of trademark and copyright law, Jennifer Ziegler specializes in global brand protection, trademark and copyright enforcement, anti-counterfeiting, and trademark portfolio management. She works extensively with company legal, marketing, and business development groups to devise cost-effective global brand protection strategies. She works with her clients on issues involving anti-counterfeiting, copyright, domain name recovery, IP due diligence, licensing, trade dress, and unfair competition. Jennifer has extensive experience working with clients of all sizes in a variety of industries, including automotive, consumer products, entertainment, bio-tech and life sciences, and financial services. Immediately prior to joining Brooks Kushman, Jennifer served as Associate General Counsel, Trademarks for a major motorcycle manufacturer, where she oversaw all aspects of trademark prosecution and enforcement in the United States, Canada, and throughout Europe. Her in-house experience has given her valuable insight into providing clients with cost-effective and targeted legal service. Jennifer values close business relationships that enable a team approach to brand protection. Jennifer serves as a volunteer mediator for The Dispute Resolution Center, a community mediation center serving Washtenaw and Livingston counties, where she has mediated over 50 legal disputes. Her training and experience as a mediator has given her particular expertise in conflict resolution.