Taking Estate Planning; Construction; and Business cases out of Troy, Michigan and the surrounding areas.

Kira Damusis grew up in Southeastern Michigan as the oldest of three children and maintains a close relationship with her parents and two younger brothers. Kira attended Washtenaw Community College and later transferred to Central Michigan University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in 2008. Kira then earned her Juris Doctorate from Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University. While awaiting the Michigan Bar results, Kira began working as a law clerk for a personal injury firm in Southfield. In 2019, Kira switched from personal injury to family law and never looked back. Since 2019, Kira has practiced exclusively divorce and family law in Wayne, Oakland, Washtenaw, Livingston, Lenawee, Macomb and Monroe counties. Having experienced her own parents’ several years’ long divorce when she was just 12 years old, Kira is dedicated to helping clients navigate the complexities of divorce and child custody cases to reach a place of peace and resolution during difficult times. She was very fortunate that both of her parents found wonderful partners and is grateful to her “parents” collectively as she calls them, her father and stepmother and mother and stepfather, for always being supportive and for instilling in her the belief that she could accomplish anything she put her mind to, and for showing her that, indeed, 'Through darkness comes light, through fear comes love, and through pain comes triumph.' -Lilly Atlas As a family law attorney and mother of two wonderful boys herself, Kira provides personalized, compassionate and effective legal guidance, and works tirelessly to advocate for the well-being and best interests of her clients and their families and children, and to find practical solutions that suit each client’s unique circumstances. Above all, Kira prefers spending quality time with her family and exploring the great outdoors. When she is not in the courtroom, Kira enjoys hiking, disc golfing, camping, and sharing the beauty of Michigan's natural landscapes with her boys. Kira loves to cook and explore new foods, is an avid gardener, and even raises chickens to share fresh eggs with family and friends. She believes in the power of nature to rejuvenate and inspire and brings that same passion and creative energy to her work. Family is at the heart of everything Kira does, and she would be honored to be your guide through the complexities of your Michigan family law case.

Michael Turner is a dynamic patent attorney with wide-ranging legal expertise in patent law and works closely with clients to ensure that patent portfolios align with international protection and enforcement strategies. Michael Turner’s passion for learning led him to a career in patent law. He applies that drive to every project and obtains patents that are relied upon to protect technology, which has resulted in significant licensing and enforcement. Many of these patents have withstood the scrutiny of challenges at various US district courts, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the Patent Trial & Appeal Board of the US Patent & Trademark Office. Michael has the experience and foresight to obtain intellectual property rights to withstand such challenges. Due to Michael’s experience with obtaining patents for enforcement, he is also sought for prosecution of patent applications with an eye towards litigation. Likewise, Michael also has significant experience with prosecution of patents during reexamination and reissue prosecution. A primary focus of Michael Turner's practice is domestic and foreign patent prosecution for mechanical matters, electromechanical matters, systems, methods, and designs. His industry background in robotics and automation provides him with experience in various technologies and manufacturing processes. Michael counsels clients on procedures for filing domestic patent applications that meet the varying requirements for both domestic and international protection and enforcement, particularly addressing the various international nuances associated with design patents. This counseling includes generating procedures for efficient collection of invention and design disclosures to streamline internal processes. Michael’s experience includes preparing, prosecuting, and managing international patent and industrial design portfolios. This experience includes developing strategies for obtaining strong patent protection in many countries. Due to his experience and understanding of the laws and procedures of many commercially significant countries, Michael efficiently seeks broad and consistent international protection. Michael is actively involved in post-grant proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He represents clients in Inter Partes Review proceedings, reexaminations, and reissue patent applications. Such involvement includes coordinating strategies across post-grant proceedings, co-pending litigation, product engineering, licensing, and patent prosecution. Michael is active in appellate practice and oral advocacy before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the US Patent & Trademark Office. One of Michael’s strengths involves analyzing complex legal and technical issues for client counseling to mitigate risks associated with commercialization of technology. This ability enables him to assist clients to bring a product to market by guiding their design through the patent portfolios of competitors. This also enables him to protect the core technologies of a client. He is often assigned to protect such technologies where licensing and/or enforcement are necessary; and the strongest protection is required. Consequently, Michael cooperates with litigation counsel (domestic and international), coordinating efforts between the protection and enforcement of technologies. He also negotiates licenses, to reach agreements between parties to avoid litigation. Michael likes to lead by example in his practice and within Brooks Kushman. He is a co-chair of the Patent Prosecution department. He is also on the Brooks Kushman Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. Michael participates in recruiting and training, as well as chairing monthly and quarterly internal legal education seminars. Michael also has a passion for educating. As a leader of the Patent Prosecution department, he is active with the coordination of the ever-changing laws, procedures, strategies, and technologies. Michael is one of the teachers of the Brooks Kushman claims drafting training class. Michael participates in the Brooks Kushman mentor program. Michael is a former Co-Chair of the mentor program of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, wherein he helped draft the mentor guidelines. He typically mentors the development of new hires, including lawyers, patent agents, clerks, and patent engineers. Michael helps the firm stay current on developments in the law and the practice by coordinating internal legal education seminars. Michael feels this experience helps build the firm, helps build strong teams for clients, and helps him explain complex matters to clients, patent examiners, and others. In his spare time, Michael loves to do outdoor activities with his family and dogs. Michael also enjoys obtaining patents for inventors with the Michigan Pro Bono Patent Project of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan.

Marla Spain, Ph.D., is a talented attorney with an in-depth background in molecular biology and genetics. Marla Spain, Ph.D., focuses her practice on patent prosecution support in the life sciences practices. Her technical expertise includes molecular biology, genetics, human physiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, physics, and biology. Prior to joining the firm, Marla was a research associate at Wayne State University School of Medicine Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics where she was working to understand the molecular mechanisms of retinal degeneration and regeneration. Marla holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Richmond School of Law and earned her Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences from Oakland University. Her thesis focused on the basics of gene regulation, specifically understanding how chromatin remodeling factors regulate gene expression. Outside of the office, Marla spends her time getting her children to their many activities.

John Rondini is a multi-faceted attorney with extensive knowledge in litigation, negotiating settlements, and licensing agreements. John’s practice includes representing clients in patent prosecution, litigation, and cyber security and data privacy matters. In recognizing the pending threat of cyber-incidents his clients may face, John has worked to help develop Brook Kushman’s Cybersecurity and Data Privacy group. John’s experience includes assessing a client’s current cybersecurity and data privacy protocols and developing a comprehensive incident response plan to ensure compliance with applicable laws. John also assists his client’s in determining the potential root cause of a breach and what type of notification may be necessary. John also has experience in addressing information and data security requirements for his clients during both vendor contractual or M&A transactions. John has also represented client’s litigation matters at the district court and appellate level, as well as, before the International Trade Commission. John has actively managed each stage of litigation from pre-suit pleadings through trial, and through appeal. John has also represented his client’s needs in negotiating settlements and licensing agreements. While representing one client’s litigation needs, John became involved in developing and growing Brooks Kushman’s Post-Grant Proceedings team. As a result, John was part of a team that handled 25 inter partes review proceedings that invalidated hundreds of patent claims being asserted against that client. John has also managed the patent prosecution docket for clients that range from Fortune 500 companies to individual inventors. John’s prosecution experience includes handling a patent application from an initial draft through allowance. Relying on his litigation and prosecution experience, John’s has also handled numerous patentability and clearance opinions on behalf of his clients. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, John worked for nearly ten years as a hardware design and software engineer in the automotive and semi-conductor industries. This work provided John with invaluable experience that helps him further counsel his client’s intellectual property needs.

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.

James Proscia is a talented IP attorney with over 20 years of patent prosecution experience and degrees in chemistry, biotechnology, electrical engineering and physics. Jim, serving as the Chair of Brooks Kushman's Applied Physics Practice Group and Co-Chair of the Chemistry Practice Group, brings over 20 years of patent prosecution experience to the table. His degrees in chemical physics, physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, and biotechnology, coupled with his diverse expertise across a broad range of industries, make him a reliable and proficient professional. Jim's specialization lies in working with universities, where he represents technology transfer departments to protect and monetize their inventions. His unique background as a former adjunct professor and researcher equips him with deep knowledge of both sides of this relationship. He excels in collaborating closely with professors and scientists to draft and prosecute patent applications, leveraging his diverse educational background to work effectively on a wide range of technologies. Jim has substantial experience in various sub-fields of physics, including solid-state physics, optics, electricity and magnetism, mechanics, and atomic and molecular physics. His expertise extends to optical systems, medical resonance imaging, and image processing, as well as circuit design. He has drafted patent applications in areas related to photonic emission, Brillouin light scattering, the photoacoustic effect, single photon sources for scalable quantum optical circuits, parity-time (PT) symmetric wireless telemetric sensors and systems, and multi-spectral scattering-matrix tomography. His expertise also extends to solid-state physics, electricity and magnetism, mechanics, atomic and molecular physics, and optical communication. In addition to his physics expertise, Jim has a strong technical background in organic chemistry and has collaborated with clients in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries on small-molecule therapeutics, drug formulation and delivery technologies, and chemical process technologies. His patent prosecution and opinion work encompass medical and diagnostic devices and biotechnology. Specific examples include methods for treating diseases, diagnostic assays, biomarkers, pharmaceuticals, diagnostic agents, blood analysis methods, food processing techniques, and biofuel technologies. With nearly 20 years of laboratory experience before transitioning to patent law, Jim conducted extensive research in semiconductor films and modeled the optical properties of multilayer films. ‎Jim applies his considerable technical experience to the procurement of patents, both ‎foreign and domestic, and to assist in client counseling and patent portfolio management. His deep understanding of an inventor’s work language allows him to draw out the essential information required to obtain patents with excellence. In addition to preparing and prosecuting patent applications, Jim consults clients on developing patent portfolio strategies and preparing freedom to operate opinions, particularly in relation to the chemical and electrical arts. Jim has graduate degrees in chemical physics (Harvard), physics (Harvard), biotechnology (Johns Hopkins), and electrical engineering (Ohio University). His completed graduate courses include quantum mechanics, electromagnetic theory, statistical mechanics, and signal processing. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, Jim worked as a research scientist and technical specialist at a large automotive OEM for ten years. Over his career, he was awarded fourteen patents in thin film technologies and co-authored several scientific articles. Jim has also been an in-house patent attorney at Pfizer and an adjunct professor of chemistry at Wayne State University.

Isheeta Patel Laxmanan is an experienced patent attorney with a passion for providing her clients with high-quality, strategic intellectual property advice with an eye for detail and current technological trends. Isheeta focuses her practice on the preparation and prosecution of domestic patent applications in the chemical engineering and materials arts. Isheeta also has experience in advising her clients on intellectual property strategies by providing opinions on whether they have freedom to operate and by assessing the validity of patents. She has experience working with clients of various sizes, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to small start-ups. Isheeta has multi-faceted experience working extensively within a variety of industries, with an emphasis on technologies related to chemical engineering and advanced materials. Her prosecution and opinion experience is focused on advanced coatings, nanocomposites and composite systems, polymer chemistry and coagulants, heat transfer and thermal management materials, battery components and controls, catalyst structures, fluid flow control, and related coatings, additive manufacturing, paints, and specialty coatings, and consumer products. Isheeta provides reliable insight to clients regarding business-critical decisions such as whether to patent an inventive concept, whether they have freedom to operate, the validity of granted patents, and determining the state of the art and any white space in a specific technology market. Isheeta also has experience supporting intellectual property negotiations, settlements, and litigation. Isheeta previously served as a patent clerk with Honda Patents & Technologies North America and Ohio State’s Technology Commercialization Office. Before entering the intellectual property industry, she held engineering positions with Owens Corning developing wind turbine blade technology and with H.R. Technologies, Inc., a tier-two automotive materials supplier. Isheeta holds a Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law where she served as Issue Editor for the technology journal I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society (now the Ohio State Technology Law Journal), as well as President of both the Intellectual Property Law Society and the South Asian Law Students Association. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Outside of Brooks Kushman, Isheeta is the current President of the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) of Michigan and currently serving on the Board of Directors for SABA North America and SABA Michigan. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family on the lake, checking out new restaurants, and traveling (when it’s not football season). Although she attended Ohio State for law school, Isheeta is true to her undergraduate degree from Michigan and can regularly be found sporting University of Michigan gear, especially every Saturday of football season at the Big House with her husband watching the Wolverines play.

Chelsea Pasquali is an IP attorney who brings a client-centered approach to her practice and assures that her clients' business and legal goals are surpassed. Chelsea focuses her practice on intellectual property litigation with a focus on patent, trademark, trade dress, unfair competition, and copyright litigation. Her experience also includes representation of trademark owners in opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, as well as counseling clients on clearance, prosecution, false advertising, enforcement of trademarks and copyrights, and counseling on domain name issues and license agreements. Chelsea represents Fortune 500 Corporations, small businesses, and individuals in a variety of intellectual property claims. She regularly works with her clients to develop and implement IP enforcement strategies to fit their business needs. Throughout her career, she has successfully litigated a variety of cases in State and Federal Court. She has also successfully represented clients before the Michigan Court of Appeals. Chelsea brings a client-centric approach to her practice. She works alongside her clients to understand their business and legal goals, working with her clients as a part of their team. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, Pasquali’s practice focused on litigation in a variety of areas including general liability, product liability, and commercial litigation. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Outside of work, Chelsea can usually be found running, walking her dogs, or at the lake with her family. She is active in her community and responsible for planning neighborhood events in her subdivision. She enjoys spending Saturday mornings running races, most often with her kids at the finish line.

Alena Marconi is an experienced, hands-on patent prosecution attorney with an extensive background in chemical, materials, and environmental solutions sciences. She guides and advises her clients with high-quality legal advice and strategic thinking. Alena’s practice focuses on domestic and foreign patent prosecution in the chemical, materials science, green tech, and mechanical arts. She counsels clients of all sizes in a wide range of industries including automotive, chemical, horticultural applications, environmental remediation, green technologies, alternative energy generation, industrial processes, medical devices, polymers, coatings, fuel cells, batteries, catalytic converters, packaging, and additives. Alena is admitted to practice in Michigan and before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan. Alena holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Materials Technology from Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Czech Republic, as well as a Master of Science in Chemistry from Oakland University. Her undergraduate, graduate studies, and research focused on macromolecular chemistry, environmental technology, and toxicology. Ms. Vackova graduated magna cum laude from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School in May 2012 with a Juris Doctor degree. During her law school studies, she earned five certificates of merit and served as an Assistant Board Editor on the Cooley Law School Law Review as well as a Secretary for the Student Intellectual Property Law Association and Veterans Organization. Besides English, Alena is fluent in Czech, Slovak, and has a working knowledge of German and additional Slavic languages. In her free time, she’s an avid photographer who loves to spend time with her family exploring Michigan and the rest of the world or running 5K races.