Seyfarth Shaw Welcomes Four Leading Patent Attorneys in Boston with a Broad Range of Technological Expertise and Litigation Capability

Brian L. Michaelis, Thomas M. Saunders, John C. Serio Join as Partners and Joseph P. Quinn as Of Counsel Strengthening Firm’s National IP Capabilities

Boston, MA (May 23, 2007) - - Seyfarth Shaw LLP, one of America’s leading full service law firms, announced that Brian L. Michaelis, Thomas M. Saunders and John C. Serio have joined the firm as partners and Joseph P. Quinn has joined the firm as of counsel in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in the firm’s Boston office.  Prior to joining Seyfarth Shaw, Michaelis and Saunders were partners and Serio was senior counsel with Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP and Quinn was an associate with Cesari and McKenna LLP.  All are registered to practice before the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO).

Saunders and Serio, as specialists in patent and licensing matters related to biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical device industries are responding to a sector which is experiencing tremendous growth in the New England market.  Recently, on May 15, 2007, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick proposed to spend $1 billion on biotechnology over 10 years to “enhance the state’s already nationally recognized assets in the fields of medicine and science . . . to ensure the state’s ability to support life science progress from the idea stage through the production stage.”

Michaelis, formerly co-chair of his prior firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, is active in all areas of intellectual property law and technology business practice, with considerable emphasis on  Intellectual Property litigation, including significant patent litigation trial experience. His practice includes intellectual property patent strategy counseling, as well as validity and infringement analysis. He has testified as an expert on patent issues and argued appeals before the USPTO Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Saunders specializes in representing emerging medical technology, biotechnology/genetic engineering and pharmaceutical concerns, addressing patent prosecution, patent strategy and Intellectual Property licensing matters. He has particular expertise in university technology transfer.  His intellectual property practice extends to trademark and copyright licensing and litigation where he has significant experience.

Serio concentrates his practice in the area of intellectual property concerning biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and analytical scientific equipment. His practice involves drafting and prosecution of patents, right to use and patentability opinions, patent litigation, licensing of technology and trademark issues.    Beyond his patent practice, Serio provides regulatory guidance in working with the Food and Drug Administration in pharmaceuticals, biologicals, and device approvals and post-approval issues.  Together Saunders and Serio provide Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) Paragraph IV certifications to generic pharmaceutical houses.

Quinn focuses on patent drafting and prosecution, technology licensing, patentability studies and trademark protection in the U.S. and internationally. Areas of technology include computer and network architecture, mass data storage systems, data acquisition and control systems, machine vision, fiber optics, signal processing, telematics, medical devices, laser applications, films and graphic technologies, electro/mechanical technologies, switches, valves and connector systems.  He also provides litigation support and has provided extensive due diligence and valuation studies for intellectual property in the context of corporate mergers and acquisitions.

"The addition of these significantly experienced lawyers will enhance and strengthen Seyfarth Shaw’s established national IP practice,” stated Alan L. Unikel, Co-Chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group.  “Over the past year, our firm has nearly tripled the number of patent attorneys and agents who provide valuable litigation counsel and support to our clients.  I am delighted to welcome Brian, John, Tom and Joe to the firm, the practice and our growing Boston office.”

Seyfarth Shaw’s team of intellectual property attorneys represents a diverse roster of clients in all areas of intellectual property law helping clients identify and secure their intellectual property rights, exploit them in the marketplace and enforce or defend them anywhere a client does business.  The firm’s Patent Law practice has significant experience and in-depth knowledge to help clients review ideas and products, evaluate patentability issues, prepare and manage patent applications, identify potential infringements, and enforce patent rights.

The addition of these four attorneys in Boston increases Seyfarth’s total number of patent practitioners including attorneys and agents to 28 across the country.  This group reviews inventions and products for patentability and potential infringement; prepares and prosecutes patent applications before the USPTO; drafts and negotiates patent licenses, technology development, confidentiality and employment agreements; obtains and enforces foreign patent rights; integrates patents with other forms of intellectual property protection; develops and delivers patent training programs; provides counsel on patent-related aspects of acquisitions, including due diligence and negotiation of asset purchase agreements; conducts patent portfolio audits, prepares opinions regarding patent infringement, invalidity and enforceability issues, and litigates Intellectual Property disputes.

“Seyfarth Shaw is addressing the needs of the strong high tech, biotech, medical device, and life science base in New England and we believe that our expanding IP presence will significantly help our clients in their growing businesses,” said Lisa J. Damon, managing partner of Seyfarth’s Boston office.  “The addition of this group also provides stronger, more full service capabilities in our Boston office.  We are thrilled to have these new attorneys on board.”

Michaelis received his B.S. (cum laude) from New Hampshire College and earned his J.D. from  Franklin Pierce Law Center.  He is admitted to the bar in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and is a Registered Patent Attorney with the USPTO.   He is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Boston Patent Law Association, the American Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, New Hampshire Bar Association, Boston Bar Association, Federal Circuit Bar Association, Computer and Internet Law Committee,  and  Institute of Electronic Engineers.

Serio has a B.S. from the University of Rhode Island School of Pharmacy and his J.D. from the Western New England School of Law.  He is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and is a Registered Patent Attorney with the USPTO.  Serio is a member of the Boston Patent Law Association, the Boston Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Massachusetts Pharmaceutical Association.  He is an accredited speaker with the American College of Pharmaceutical Education and regularly speaks on pharmaceutical issues.

Saunders received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a J.D. from Boston College Law School.  He is admitted to the bar in Massachusetts and New York; he is a Registered Patent Attorney with the USPTO and the Canadian Patent Office.  Saunders has a substantial background in biotechnology and chemical patent practice, facilitated by his graduate studies in physiology at Case Western Reserve University and Albany Medical College. He has also been in-house patent counsel in the pharmaceutical industry.

Quinn received his B.S. from Northeastern University and his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.  His is admitted to the bar in Massachusetts and is a Registered Patent Attorney with the USPTO.  He is a member if the Boston Bar Association, the Boston Patent Law Association and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

“Speaking on behalf of my colleagues, we are delighted to join a well developed IP practice that is growing significantly to keep up with the increasing need for sophisticated representation in complex IP litigation matters,” stated Michaelis.  “We see exceptional opportunities for our practice in the  electrical/electronic, software, biotech, pharma, medical device and life science arenas in Massachusetts.   Our full national practice should benefit from these and other growth areas in our client work.”

Seyfarth Shaw has over 700 attorneys located in nine offices throughout the United States including Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento as well as Brussels, Belgium.  Seyfarth Shaw provides a broad range of legal services in the areas of  business transactions, labor and employment, employee benefits and litigation.  The firm’s practice reflects virtually every industry and segment of the country’s business community. Clients include over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, newspapers and other media, hotels, health care organizations, airlines and railroads. The firm also represents a number of federal, state, and local governmental and educational entities.  For more information, please visit http://www.seyfarth.com.

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