Ardiana Culaj joined Thurswell Law in 2009. She specializes in medical malpractice and birth injury litigation. Ms. Culaj is a second-generation attorney, following her parents, who served as a prosecutor and a judge in their native Kosovo. She earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in political science from Oakland University in 2003 and a law degree from Wayne State University in 2007. While in law school, she interned for Justice Marilyn Kelly of the Michigan Supreme Court and served as a student attorney in the Wayne State Disability Law Clinic. In 2015, Ms. Culaj was recognized as one of the top 30 women lawyers in Michigan, following her victory in the Court of Appeals on a wrongful death case involving a non-viable fetus (< 24 weeks gestation). Her determination and zealous representation resulted, for the first time in Michigan history, in the legal recognition of a wrongful death action on behalf of a non-viable fetus. Her major success in Simpson v. Pickens, et al, 311 Mich. App. 127 (2015) has helped pave the way for parents who seek justice and accountability for the loss of their non-viable fetus resulting from negligence. As a result of her efforts, families can seek damages such as the loss of love, affection, society, and companionship for the death of their loved one. Fewer than 10 other states recognize such claims.

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.

Cary M. Makrouer specializes in personal injury and victim’s rights cases, including slip and fall accidents, automobile negligence, dog bites, and police misconduct. He was the winner of the 10th-largest trial verdict in the State of Michigan in 2001 and the 13th-largest trial verdict in the State of Michigan in 2005. Mr. Makrouer is BV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, which recognizes a combination of achieving a very high legal ability and ethical standards rating. In 2008, 2009, and 2010, he was recognized as a Super Lawyer by Law & Politics magazine. Mr. Makrouer has been with Thurswell Law since 1988. He graduated with honors from Michigan State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and earned a law degree from the Detroit College of Law. Mr. Makrouer was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1976.

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.