July 20, 2010

Barbara Fornasiero
Barbara.eafocus@sbcglobal.net
248.651.7536

ANN ARBOR – Robert K. Fergan was elected to a three-year term in the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly for the 22nd Circuit, Washtenaw County, and Bonnie R. Shaw was re-elected to the Young Lawyers Section – Executive Council, for a two-year term in District Three, which represents all counties except Wayne, Oakland and Macomb. Ms. Shaw and Mr. Fergan are both attorneys in the Ann Arbor office of Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the U.S. The election results were announced by the State Bar of Michigan on June 28, 2010.

Robert Fergan joined Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione in 2003. His practice at Brinks focuses on client counseling, licensing and patent prosecution in the United States and in other countries under the rules of the Patent Cooperation Treaty. He has prepared and prosecuted patents in the electrical, mechanical, electro-optical and computer science arts, as well as patents related to business methods.

Mr. Fergan is active in the legal profession. He is a member of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Intellectual Property Law Section and Business Law Section and is also serving a three-year term on the editorial board of Landslide, a bi-monthly magazine of the ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law that offers news and analysis on patents, trademarks, copyrights and related topics. Additionally, he served as chair of the special committee for the 2010 Mid-Year meeting of the ABA Intellectual Property Law Section, which was held in February.

Mr. Fergan received his J.D. from Wayne State University College of Law and a B.S. in electrical engineering with a minor in optics from Kettering University, formerly known as the General Motors Institute. He is a resident of Livonia.

Bonnie Shaw has been active in the legal profession since joining Brinks in 2006, where she focuses her practice on intellectual property litigation and patent and trademark prosecution in the medical and mechanical arts. In addition to serving on the Executive Council of the State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section, she is Co-Chair of the Public Relations and Community Liaison Committee of the Washtenaw County Bar Association. As Chair, she also has a seat on the Board of Directors of the Washtenaw County Bar Association.

Ms. Shaw received her J.D., summa cum laude, from the Michigan State University College of Law with a concentration in intellectual property law, where she was a member of the Journal of International Law. She received her B.S., with honors, in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University. Ms. Shaw is a resident of Brighton.

Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione is one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the United States and serves the intellectual property needs of clients around the world. Brinks has 170 attorneys, scientific advisors and patent agents who specialize in intellectual property litigation and all aspects of patent, trademark and copyright law. The firm also advises on issues relating to intellectual asset management, trade secret, unfair competition, and technology and licensing agreements. Brinks routinely handles assignments for companies in the electrical, chemical, and mechanical engineering sectors; the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and nanotechnology industries; and for companies whose work relates to Internet and computer technology law. The firm’s trademark practice works on behalf of clients who deal in a wide variety of products and services. Founded in 1917, Brinks is based in Chicago and has five additional offices across the country, including its new office in Washington D.C.