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Alan Sack is a Registered Patent Attorney and an experienced intellectual property attorney. A graduate of MIT and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Alan helps his clients protect their patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets in disputes before district courts across the United States, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (US PTO), as well as before the United States International Trade Commission (US ITC). He has served as lead and associate counsel in numerous patent, trademark, unfair competition, and copyright litigations and has also mediated intellectual property disputes. In the realm of patent law, Alan handles patent and design patent litigation matters before U.S. district courts, and inter partes matters before the US PTO, including patent appeals, reissues, reexaminations, and post-issue review proceedings. He also counsels clients on patent preparation and infringement matters and has extensive experience in the preparation, prosecution, and appeals of patent applications before the US PTO in a broad spectrum of technologies and designs. He is experienced in patent and copyright protection of technologies relating to computer sciences and business methods, as well as nanotechnology, biotechnology, medical devices, imaging, LED lighting, mechanical devices, energy storage, radiation detection, superconductors, computer sciences, signal processing, iontophoresis and chemical technologies, waste treatment, polymer molding and processing, chemical engineering, petroleum processing, films, fluid handling, and business methods. Alan also has successfully overseen opposition proceedings before the European and Japanese Patent Offices, and handles licensing negotiations and preparation of license agreements. Alan is experienced in trademark, unfair competition, and trade secret litigation in the U.S. district courts, and opposition and cancellation proceedings before the US PTO. He routinely counsels clients in adoption and clearance of trademarks and service marks and the protection of trade secrets, as well as U.S. and foreign trademark filing, prosecution, opposition, and appeals. His practice also encompasses counseling and negotiation of branding and advertising transactions. He advises clients regarding protection and use of trademarks in advertising and product packaging, advertising claims, and the use of appropriate marking of patents and registered trademarks on product packaging and brochures. Alan has extensive Trademark, Copyright, Trade Secret & UC protection, Counseling, Licensing, and Litigation experience in the Apparel, Banking, Entertainment, Fabrics, Food, Footwear, Gaming, Music, & Restaurant industries. Alan has been a longtime member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and an active member of the Trade Name Subcommittee of the Trademark Enforcement Committee of INTA. Alan has also handled a variety of copyright and entertainment related litigation, registration and counseling matters, and has litigated software and television copyright infringement actions in U.S. district courts and before the US ITC. In a recent US ITC investigation, Alan and his team prevailed on summary determination in an investigation involving a children’s television show. The ITC’s Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) found lack of substantial similarity between the accused television show and the copyrights asserted in the investigation. Alan has also handled matters related to copyright infringement actions in the music industry and been successful in taking down infringing content for music posted on various Internet websites under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. (DMCA). He has also successfully conducted arbitrations under ICANN’s Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution (UDRP) arbitration procedures. Alan is a member of the Federal Bar Association and is part of a team of three senior patent litigators that has taken on an initiative to provide the district courts designated to participate in the Patent Cases Pilot Program (PCPP) with a series of in-depth and interactive multi-session presentations on the relevant substantive and procedural aspects of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. The sessions look at the how the new patent act affects the conduct of patent litigations before the U.S. district courts and the interplay between district court litigation and the new post-registration proceedings before the USPTO. Alan and his colleagues have presented before the judges, magistrate-judges and law clerks of the Southern District of New York, and the Eastern District of New York and have contributed to the drafting of the local patent rules that are shared by these courts.

Trecker Fritz & Williams has a history of helping people after an accident or professional error. We have more than 40 years of experience representing injured clients, including residents of Hawaii, military members, and their families and visitors to our state who have suffered a catastrophic injury or death. Our reputation speaks for itself: Trecker Fritz & Williams was named by the prestigious Best Lawyers in America as a Tier 1 law firm in Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiff. Our founding partner, Collin M. (Marty) Fritz, was named Lawyer of the Year in Hawaii by Best Lawyers and Honolulu Magazine for Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiff in 2017. This is important. Lawyers who are honored by companies like Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers are chosen only by the very best lawyers and judges who see lawyers in action. They are the people who know! Founding Partner Collin M. (Marty) Fritz served in the U.S. Army in the judge advocate general's corp. He has more than 40 years of personal injury experience and is committed to finding creative and beneficial outcomes for his clients. Mr. Fritz has been recognized by his peers and judges in Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell AV* (highest for competence and ethics), Best Lawyers in America and was named Lawyer of the Year in Hawaii by Best Lawyers and Honolulu Magazine for Personal Injury Litigation — Plaintiff in 2017. He is a member and frequent lecturer to other lawyers at American Association for Justice and Western Trial Lawyers Association.

I graduated cum laude in 2002 from the Georgia State University College of Law, where I was a member of Law Review. My undergraduate degree is in history from the University of Florida. Prior to and during law school, I worked at the Federal Trade Commission on consumer protection cases, primarily involving enforcement actions under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act relating to advertising and marketing practices. I started my legal career at a large international firm, where I defended FTC enforcement actions as well as represented international corporations in a diverse variety of high-stakes cases involving advertising, marketing, trademark and copyright protection, defamation, and business disputes. Desiring more trial work, I transitioned to a mid-size firm with other former big firm attorneys. There, I continued my diverse practice, tried over 40 cases, and made partner. In August 2021, I founded Bazinet Law, where I bring together my diverse legal background to help people with unique legal problems that touch on the area of social media, intellectual property, consumer protection, and sports. Outside of my law practice, I am licensed soccer coach who has worked with high-level competitive youth soccer for the better part of 30 years. I also play and am an avid fan.

When a person suffers an injury, it commonly causes problems extending far beyond the pain associated with the injury itself. It affects relationships, financial security, employment opportunity and mental health. So, when someone suffers an injury, they look to their attorney to be a problem solver. I genuinely enjoy having the opportunity to solve people's problems. I am challenged and honored to be entrusted with the task of helping people when they are facing trying circumstances and feel helpless. My family instilled in me a strong work ethic and dedication to achievement. I competed in academic debate while attending Western Kentucky University. As the captain of the debate team I led the team from a national ranking of #165 to #4 in only two years. In Law School I competed in moot court and national negotiation competitions where again we achieved national recognition, placing eighth in the nation in moot court competition. I commit that same dedication to the work I perform for my clients. Since 1995, I have assisted people across the state of Kentucky and throughout the United States who have been injured and need guidance because of a variety of unfortunate circumstances. I have had the privilege to represent individuals and families, injured or killed due to dangerous products such as farm implements, coal mining machinery, elevators and firearms. I have litigated medical malpractice cases involving dental extractions, gallbladder removal, diabetic management, orthopedic surgery and emergency treatment and diagnosis of post surgical complications. I have represented clients suffering from chemical exposures including anhydrous ammonia and coal dust. I have concluded cases involving pharmaceutical mistakes involving errors with prescription medications, infusions, vaccination injury and intravenous administration. Finally, I have tried, mediated and settled hundreds of cases resulting from trucking wrecks, bus wrecks and car wrecks. The list below contains some of my career highlights. I look forward to being an advocate for many more people as we move ahead making a difference in people's lives one case at a time.

Born in the tiny coal-mining community of Williamson and raised in Parkersburg, West Virginia, by blue-collar working-class parents who placed a premium on hard work, honesty, and personal integrity, Bernie Layne of Mani Ellis & Layne, PLLC learned from an early age that his path to success would have to be paved with over achievement. While both of his parents grew up in abject poverty that can only be understood or imagined by those who have experienced day-to-day life in ‘coal camp’ housing in southern West Virginia, they became acutely aware of the value and necessity of education and sweat equity as a means of rising above their circumstance. It is from this culture and environment that Bernie’s parents instilled in him, and his two sisters, to never forget where they have come from and to always use their God-given talents and abilities to help people around them who are disadvantaged, hurting, disabled, destitute, or who are being abused by those in a more powerful position than themselves in society. Growing up in Parkersburg, just across the river from Marietta and Belpre, Ohio, he gained a deep, abiding respect for the hardworking people on both sides of the border. Rising from the social position of an ‘underdog,’ it isn’t hard to understand how Bernie has come to embrace these roots by becoming a highly successful legal advocate and defender of the rights of injured working-class West Virginians and Ohioans. A Strong Competitive Spirit As you can imagine, it takes tremendous family support and lots of competitive spirit to become one of only a few college graduates in his family and to become the first lawyer in his immediate or extended family. That love for competition was introduced to him as a child, by his father, an accomplished sportswriter at the Williamson Daily News. Bernie developed a love for the game of basketball and baseball and eventually earned a baseball scholarship to attend the University of Charleston in Charleston, West Virginia. As a college student-athlete, Bernie was introduced to the importance of academic and athletic discipline, teamwork, handling success and overcoming failure. As his dream of playing professional baseball faded, his commitment to personal development and higher education strengthened. Before leaving UC, Bernie was named the Ivor F. Boiarsky Award Winner, which annually recognizes the top Political Science Student in the graduating class, won a statewide award for his senior thesis, in the area of Public Law Policy, on the pitfalls and environmental evils associated with an inadequate and corrupt strip mine permitting system in West Virginia, was voted by his peers as the Student Body President and was chosen by the administration to deliver the commencement address on behalf of his graduating class, while sharing the stage with the late Senator Robert C. Byrd. Inspired to help the disadvantaged Using his undergraduate success as a springboard, Bernie went on to attend graduate school at The Ohio University, where he received a Master of Arts Degree in Sociology. After graduate school, Bernie returned to Appalachia where he worked with elderly and disabled individuals through the Title 19 Medicaid Waiver Program in Southern West Virginia. The year spent working with catastrophically injured people through Title 19 firmed his resolve and commitment to make a difference in the lives of the hardworking citizens of this state. This experience made Bernie aware of the obstacles that face disabled and poverty-stricken individuals and the myriad of statutory and legal hurdles they face, while unable to afford adequate legal assistance to address their needs. Bernie’s disappointment in the legal system and its treatment of handicapped, disabled, and elderly individuals led him to attend law school at The University of Dayton School of Law where he graduated with his Juris Doctor in the Spring of 1999. After finishing law school, Bernie remained in Dayton as a judicial extern for The Honorable Barbara Gorman, the first female judge of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas. In the years following his law school graduation, Bernie has remained committed to preserving the rights of injured and disadvantaged citizens of our state and has limited his practice to cases which involve people who have been injured due to the negligence of another person, corporation or governmental body. Throughout his career, he has successfully taken on big corporate asbestos producers who exposed plant workers and pipefitters to deadly and cancer-causing asbestos fibers. He has successfully confronted coal mining companies that deliberately injured workers through a neglect of OSHA regulations and state laws designed to protect this state’s workers. Further, Bernie has successfully resolved wrongful death cases involving children, medical malpractice and poorly designed products by large corporate interests who chose to place profits as a priority over the safety of our citizens. In 2021, Mani, Ellis & Layne, PLLC expanded to a new office in Columbus, OH. For Bernie, who earned both of his graduate degrees in Ohio and has many close family members in Columbus and the surrounding towns, this was a homecoming of sorts, an opportunity to advocate for hardworking people throughout both Ohio and West Virginia. Recognized by his peers Bernie’s success and achievement have been greatly rewarded as he and his partners have built an accomplished law firm at Mani Ellis & Layne, PLLC. His professional attributes and success have also been noticed by his trial lawyer peers. In 2005, he was given the Distinguished Service Award by the West Virginia Association for Justice (WVAJ), which is a group that represents the interests of the injured and disabled in West Virginia. Attorney Layne has been a member of WVAJ and the American Association for Justice for more than a decade. He is past president of WVAJ, serving from June 2013 to June 2014. He has also served on the WVAJ Executive Committee (nine years), the WVAJ Board of Governors and as a member of the LAWPAC organization. He was recently invited to join the prestigious, Southern Trial Lawyers organization and has been apponted to The Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center where he serves on its Executive and Building & Grounds Committees. Additionally, he served a two-year stint as a member of the West Virginia Bar Association’s Judicial Campaign Advertising Committee, which sought to regulate unfair, unethical and untruthful advertising during judicial campaign election cycles. In 2013, he was appointed to the University of Charleston Board of Trustees and served on the Executive and Outreach Committees within that board. He is now serving his twelfth year on the board. In 2014, he was named Alumnus of the Year at the University of Charleston. In 2017, he was appointed chairman of the Welch Challenge Campaign, an $8 million fund-raising initiative at the school. Also in 2013, Mr. Layne received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating attorneys can achieve from that organization. Only 2% of all practitioners nationwide earn that rating. In 2018, Bernie was selected to the West Virginia Super Lawyers list by his peers. Bernie has obtained several significant verdicts and settlements and has been granted membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. On a community level, Bernie recently completed a seven-year term on the Putnam County Career and Technical Center’s Healthcare Advisory Board, on which he worked with other community leaders to design, implement and guide the LPN Nursing Program at the school. His efforts in this area are consistent with his desire to work toward broad based community and rural health care initiatives which support healthcare for the underprivileged throughout our state’s communities.

Patrick was born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and is a partner at the law firm of Anderson & Moore. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina. Following college, Patrick worked in the real estate, advertising, and marketing fields before starting law school at the Charleston School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor. After sitting for the bar exam he moved back home to Spartanburg to begin a Judicial Clerkship with Seventh Judicial Circuit Court Judge J. Mark Hayes. Upon completing his Judicial Clerkship for Judge Hayes, Patrick began work as an Assistant Solicitor for former Seventh Circuit Solicitor Trey Gowdy. Patrick’s initial case load focused on General Crimes, with cases ranging broadly from forgery and property crimes to Assault and Battery with Intent to Kill. Following the General Crimes case load, Patrick became the DUI prosecutor for the Seventh Judicial Circuit, which includes Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties. He was the DUI prosecutor for 3 years, and was responsible for both Magistrate level and Circuit Court level DUI charges. His case load ranged from DUI and Felony DUI to Failure to Stop for Blue Light and Habitual Traffic Offender. Patrick left the Solicitors Office in 2011 to go into private practice. He devotes the majority of his practice to defending clients charged with DUI, Felony DUI, Drug charges, and all criminal offenses, as well as representing clients on divorce and custody matters. Patrick’s lifetime ties to Spartanburg have given him extensive knowledge of the community and its people, and that lends itself well to representing his clients’ interests successfully. Patrick knows the area because he has lived there all his life. Patrick prides himself on being available whenever his clients need him. He strives to ensure his clients get the best results and is there to guide them through every step of the process.

Attorney Robert Schaller treats every client like family, giving them the time and personal attention they deserve. The law firm offers both in-office and virtual conferencing because some clients want to talk in the law office while other clients want to talk in the comfort of their home - and conference face-to-face over the computer via Zoom. For over 40 years, I’ve had the privilege of guiding individuals and families through some of life’s most difficult legal challenges. Whether you’re facing overwhelming debt, the threat of foreclosure, or aggressive collection actions, you don’t have to navigate it alone. I offer personalized legal solutions in bankruptcy, debt resolution, garnishment prevention, and lawsuit defense—each tailored to protect your financial well-being and restore your peace of mind. My goal is always to help you regain control of your future with dignity and confidence. In addition to financial relief services, I provide experienced guidance in estate planning and business matters. I work closely with clients to draft wills, trusts, and powers of attorney, ensuring their wishes are honored and their loved ones are protected. I also assist entrepreneurs with business formation and incorporation, laying a strong legal foundation for long-term success. No matter your legal need, I approach every case with compassion, clarity, and a deep commitment to your best outcome. Let’s work together to build a secure and hopeful path forward. Talk to Attorney Robert Schaller and gain peace of mind. The consultation is FREE!

Born and raised in Mid-Michigan, Casey attended Michigan State University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Advertising. Casey worked for years in advertising, marketing, and business consultation before deciding to attend law school. In 2013, Casey graduated Cum Laude from Thomas M. Cooley Law School (now Western Michigan University Cooley Law School), with a concentration in Intellectual Property. While attending law school, Casey worked on various consumer protection projects with the Attorney General of Michigan, as well as interning for an East Lansing based law firm. In 2014, Casey was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan, and is licensed to practice in the state of Michigan, is admitted to practice in the Michigan Federal Court of the Western District, and has been admitted to practice in the Colorado Federal Court, as well as the United States Tax Court. Since becoming licensed, Casey has been working as a solo practitioner in Michigan. Casey has worked in a wide variety of areas including Real Estate, Landlord/Tenant, Copyright, Contracts, Tax Issues, Business Organization, Wills and Trusts, Bar Exam Appeals, Collections, Construction Law, and Compliance. Recently, Casey has received a Certificate of Completion in the areas of probate and estate planning issued by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education and the Probate and Estate Planning Section of the State Bar of Michigan.

Savannah, Georgia’s nationally acclaimed trial lawyer, Mark Tate, has over 21 years of experience in the field of civil litigation. Mark began his career in law as a corporate defense attorney, but his true passion quickly compelled him to represent individuals, instead of large organizations. Mark’s record of multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts won for his clients distinguishes him as a master trial attorney. In addition to owning his practice, he now serves as a legal consultant for LawNewz.com.

Attorney D. Russell Thomas was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, August 3, 1952. He attended Middle Tennessee State University (B.S., 1970-74). He was a member of Kappa Sigma after his undergraduate degree. He attended Memphis State University Law School for his J.D. degree (1974-77). Mr. Thomas was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1978, and is admitted to the U.S. District Court in the, Middle and Eastern Districts of Tennessee.D. Russell Thomas was a member of Phi Alpha Delta and a 1985 Graduate of ATLA’s Advanced Civil Litigation Course. Mr. Thomas served on the Board of Governors as the Representative for the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association for the 6th District of Tennessee, 1991—2005 and 2016-2018. He is a member of the Rutherford County, Tennessee Bar Association, The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association (Legislative Committee, 2000—2004), Trial Master, and 2005-2006 President of the Andrew Jackson American Inns of Court. He is the author of "Automobile Liability in Tennessee" published in The Tennessee Trial Lawyers Magazine.Mr. Thomas has been a guest lecturer for the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association since 1992; lecturing on selected topics, including worker's compensation, personal injury,(which includes automobile cases, product liability, and premises liability) as well as the effective utilization of the American Medical Association Guides to the evaluation of permanent impairment in workers' compensation, personal injury cases, trial tactics, and civil jury trials.Based on a confidential survey of other attorneys in this area by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, D. Russell Thomas received an AV Rating. The A – is the mark of the highest rating of legal ability. The V – is the mark of the highest standards of legal ethics.According to Martindale-Hubbell, “AV Peer Review Rating" shows that a lawyer has reached the height of professional excellence. He or she has usually practiced law for many years, and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity". He has held this rating for approximately two decades. He is a 2018 graduate of Keenan Trial Institute which is an advanced trial techniques college out of Atlanta, Georgia. He spends many hours in continuing education each year.Mr. Thomas was raised on a dairy/beef farm in Cannon County and was active in the 4-H club with interests in cattle and horses. He kept an ongoing cattle operation until 2010. He played music with rock and blues bands off and on for 25 years. He now lives in Murfreesboro, TN with his wife Jeanmarie. His current office where he has practiced for 20 of the last 43 years is 5 minutes off of the square. The practice is devoted to plaintiff's cases for personal injuries and selected workers' compensation cases.