IP business & Technology attorneys
ADVANCING CLIENTS' objectiveS
services
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Business Counseling
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Litigation
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Transactions
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Patents
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Trademarks
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Trade Secrets
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Copyrights
BUSINESS COUNSELING
We help you set up your company, hire talent, manage risk, and resolve disputes out of court. We can help with:
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confidentiality agreements / NDAs
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consulting agreements
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employment agreements & non-competes
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operating agreements & bylaws
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work-for-hire agreements
LITIGATION
In litigation, we work with you to define goals and drive results in court. We can help with different types of disputes, including:
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breach of contract
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copyright infringement
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government contract disputes
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patent infringement
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trade secret misappropriation
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trademark infringement
TRANSACTIONS
We negotiate contracts, license technology, and acquire assets and companies. We can prepare and negotiate:
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asset purchase & stock purchase agreements
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government contracts (SBIR, STTR, OTAs, FAR Part 12, FAR Part 15)
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IP licenses & assignments
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joint development agreements
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memoranda of understanding
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supply contracts
PATENTS
We will help you decide which innovations to patent in which countries, and which to maintain as trade secrets. We can guide you through:
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international portfolio management
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opinions
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patent applications, prosecution and appeals
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prior art searching
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post grant proceedings (IPRs and PGRs)
We advise in many technologies, including:
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autonomous vehicles, connected cars and the IoT
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battery technology & electrification
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big data and data mining
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chemicals, coatings and compositions
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cybersecurity
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drive-by-wire and fly-by-wire systems
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engines & components, including controllers, pistons and transmissions
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medical devices
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next generation combat vehicle
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open source software
TRADEMARKS
Branding is important, and a global branding strategy can effectively and inexpensively help you differentiate yourself. We can help with:
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federal and state trademark filings and prosecution
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international portfolio management
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opinions
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oppositions & cancellations
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renewals
TRADE SECRETS
We know what to keep secret and how to do it. We can help with:
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best practices for maintaining secrecy
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cybersecurity
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due diligence when hiring from a competitor
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exit interview practices
COPYRIGHTS
Copyrights are not just for musicians and poets. We can help your team's software developers and HR personnel with:
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preparing and prosecuting copyright filings
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opinions
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
- Arthur C. Clark
VISION
To advance our clients' business objectives through
strategic and cost-effective counseling.
ABOUT US
We broke away from the big law firm model, which can be expensive and which lacks flexibility. We understand conventional practices from our experiences in big firms. More importantly, we understand when to depart from the old rules to drive results. We find creative solutions for our clients who are facing sophisticated business and legal issues, especially those involving technology.
ATTORNEYS
Drawing from his 25+ years of experience as in-house counsel, including as Chief IP Counsel for Lear Corporation, Bill offers sophisticated business judgment that is rare in private practice. His in-house experience includes service for the US Army, BASF, SC Johnson, and Detroit Diesel. As evidence of his breadth and depth, Bill has structured acquisitions of technology companies, set up engineering entities in China for developing next generation batteries, cross-licensed IP, and litigated patent and trade secret issues. He knows how to focus on the clients' specific business objectives, regardless of technology or industry. And he delivers results.
Bill's distinctive style makes him an effective first chair litigator, as he was in, among others, the BorgWarner v. Pierburg and Schmalz v. Better Vacuum Cup patent lawsuits. He develops creative solutions, and his written and oral advocacy resonates with judges and juries.
Bill is a lead transactional lawyer. He has formed companies and structured acquisitions in the US, Germany, Canada & China. Bill has negotiated on behalf of Michigan Defense Corridor companies with prime- and sub-contractors to the U.S. government using his mastery of regulations, including the FARs and DFARs.
Bill also continues to author patent applications and opinions across technological disciplines and industries.
recognition
Best Lawyers in America, Corporate Law, 2022-2023
Leaders in the Law, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2020
Top Lawyer, DBusiness magazine, 2014, 2017-2019
Leading Lawyers, 2017-2022
publications & Speaking engagements
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Accessing Third Party Technology to Launch New Products, Laches, Apr. 2022 (with Linda Kennedy)
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Protecting IP in Michigan's Defense Corridor, IPLS Proceedings, v. 31, issue 1, 2020 (with Linda Kennedy)
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Developments in the Chinese IP Landscape; The Battery Show, 2019
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How Government Interests Affect Downstream Use of IP; AIPLA Annual Meeting, 2018
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Smart Cars need Smart Protection: Managing your IP in the Connected Vehicle; Connected Car Symposium, 2016
Education
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, J.D.
Bradley University, B.S.
admissions
State of Michigan
State of Wisconsin
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
U.S. Court of Federal Claims
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court
Linda brings 20+ years of experience to her clients, including the business skills developed as in-house counsel with Dow Chemical Co., Pratt & Whitney, and Collins Aerospace. She developed global IP strategies, managed trade secret litigation, and negotiated commercial contracts and government contracts. She brings a business focus to the legal issues facing automotive and Michigan Defense Corridor companies.
Linda litigates high tech cases, as she has done in BorgWarner v. Pierburg and Diamond Coating Technologies v. Nissan North America et al.
Linda advises clients on IP-related agreements, as she has done for the US Department of Defense contractors and subcontractors such as Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace. Linda also authors patent applications and opinions, and manages global IP portfolios.
recognition
Best Lawyers in America, 2017, 2021-23
Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year" for Litigation - Patent in Troy MI, 2022
Go To Lawyers for Intellectual Property, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2022
Influential Women in Law, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2020
Notable Women in Law, Crain's Detroit Business, 2019
Leading Lawyers, 2017-2022
Top Lawyers, DBusiness magazine, 2014, 2017, 2022
Michigan Super Lawyers, 2020-2022
community service
Public Outreach & Education Committee, MI State Bar, 2019-present
Trustee, Michigan Technological University, 2013-2020
publications & Speaking engagements
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Mitigating Risk When Hiring from the Competition, Laches, Mar. 2023
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Accessing Third Party Technology to Launch New Products, Laches, Apr. 2022 (with Bill Panagos)
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Are Patents Good for Green, Laches, Apr. 2021
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Women Leaders in IP Law, ACI's Inaugural Summit. (Presentation on Fostering Inventorship in Women), Mar. 2021
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Beyond Money: Creative Solutions to Litigation, Laches, Feb. 2021
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Protecting IP in Michigan's Defense Corridor, IPLS Proceedings, v. 31, issue 1, 2020 (with Bill Panagos)
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In-house & Outside Counsel Teams: Managing Commercial Litigation, Laches, Jan. 2020
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Why You Should Safeguard Your Newly-Formed Business's IP, Corp! Magazine, Apr. 2016
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Medical Device Patents: Design or Utility?, 27 No. 11 Intell. Prop. & Tech. L.J. 12 (Nov. 2015)
education
University of Minnesota, B.A., J.D., cum laude
Michigan Technological University, B.S., summa cum laude
admissions
State of Illinois
State of Michigan
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court
CONTACT
