Press Releases

ANN ARBOR – Steven L. Oberholtzer, Eric J. Sosenko and Lawrence G. Almeda, shareholders in the Ann Arbor office of Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the U.S., have been named Michigan Super Lawyers for 2011 in the practice area of Intellectual Property law in the sixth annual survey. James K. Cleland and Michael N. Spink, also shareholders in the Ann Arbor office, were named Michigan Rising Stars. The Rising Star recognizes the top up-and-coming attorneys in the state who are 40 years old or younger or have been practicing for 10 years or less.

Steve Oberholtzer is the managing partner of the Ann Arbor office and has served on the firm’s Board of Directors. His practice focuses on patent and trademark counseling, corporate intellectual property policy development and administration, technology licensing, joint development and joint venture relationship agreements. He also has experience in United States Patent and Trademark Office administrative proceedings including interferences, re-examinations, re-issues, trademark oppositions and patent application preparation and prosecution. Mr. Oberholtzer provides opinions regarding infringement risks; design-around projects and patentability; litigation; and handling intellectual property issues involved in merger and acquisition transactions.

Mr. Oberholtzer has extensive experience and expertise in the intellectual property legal issues of the automotive industry. He has a lifelong interest in the industry and products, and was employed as a senior project engineer with a domestic OEM manufacturer and as in-house patent counsel for a Tier 1 supplier. In private practice, Mr. Oberholtzer has acted as primary outside counsel for a number of Tier 1 and lower Tier suppliers. These engagements included worldwide responsibility for all intellectual property issues and management of teams of attorneys handling all facets of these matters.

Mr. Oberholtzer has extensive experience in many mechanical and electro-mechanical disciplines and additional significant experience in technology areas including medical devices, lasers, fiber optics, optical devices and heavy industrial equipment. He has acted as trial counsel in a number of patent infringement litigation cases.

Mr. Oberholtzer is the principal author of a primer on intellectual property entitled, The Basic Principles of Intellectual Property Law. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Kettering University, formerly known as the General Motors Institute, and received his J.D. from the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University. He is a member of the Technology Transfer Society and the Licensing Executives Society. Mr. Oberholtzer is a resident of Chelsea.

Eric Sosenko’s intellectual property law practice focuses on the procurement, enforcement and licensing of patents and trademarks in all industrial fields, including the mechanical, electro-mechanical, medical and material arts. He counsels on the strategic implementation and management of domestic and international intellectual property portfolios for various multinational clients and deals with a wide range of intellectual property issues. In addition to his U.S. practice, Mr. Sosenko has an extensive international practice with significant experience in international protection, both directly with all major foreign intellectual property offices and under various multinational treaties, including the Patent Cooperation Treaty, and has presented at seminars in both China and Japan.

Mr. Sosenko received his J.D. and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University. He is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association, the State Bar of Michigan, the Washtenaw County Bar Association and the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property. Mr. Sosenko was recently appointed Secretary/Treasurer and council member for the Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan and serves as the chairperson of the firm’s Patent Reform Committee. He is a resident of Green Oak Township.

Lawrence G. (L.G.) Almeda chairs the Nanotechnology Practice Group at Brinks. He focuses his practice on patent opinions and prosecution in the medical, chemical, nanotechnology and mechanical arts. His practice has an emphasis on medical devices, nanomaterials, micro and nanodevices, petroleum and chemical processes, polymers, fuel cells, hybrid engines and polycarbonate glazing systems. He holds significant experience in counseling clients on patent infringement and validity evaluations. Mr. Almeda earned his J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where he was a published member of the Law Review, and a B.S. in chemical engineering from Purdue University. Additionally, he holds an L.L.M in intellectual property law from The John Marshall Law School.

Mr. Almeda is active in civic affairs and is the Chair of the State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and he presently holds the office of Secretary for the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission. Previously, he was the Secretary for the Governor’s Advisory Council on Asian Pacific American Affairs. Mr. Almeda is a former President of the Michigan Asian Pacific American Bar Association and is currently an Alternate Governor of the Central Region of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

James Cleland has represented large multinational corporations, as well as small corporations and individual clients in a variety of patent, trademark, copyright, unfair competition and trade secret settings. He specializes in patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and unfair competition litigation in a broad range of technologies including the chemical, materials science, mechanical and medical device arts, as well as in client counseling, opinion and licensing work in those same areas.

Mr. Cleland's litigation experience includes trials, preliminary injunction hearings, Markman hearings summary judgment proceedings and all aspects of fact and expert witness discovery, spanning federal courts across the county. His patent prosecution experience includes preparation of patent applications in the United States and foreign countries. He holds a J.D. from Indiana University School of Law and a B.S.in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and is a member of the Licensing Executives Society, American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, American and Michigan Intellectual Property Law Associations and the Washtenaw County Bar Association. Mr. Cleland is a resident of Ann Arbor.

Michael Spink's intellectual property law practice focuses on all aspects of client counseling, including procurement, licensing and opinions on patents, trademarks and copyrights. He chairs the firm’s Intellectual Asset Management group, and is a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) with extensive experience in complex transactions involving intellectual property, including due diligence, disposition, valuation and bankruptcy issues. His patent practice includes portfolio management, prosecution, licensing and enforcement in numerous industries including the automotive, medical device, and software industries. His trademark practice comprises worldwide portfolio management, clearance, prosecution, licensing and enforcement in federal district court and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Mr. Spink's copyright practice includes registration and licensing, and he is currently a contributing author on copyright law in a quarterly publication of the American Bar Association.

Mr. Spink holds a J.D. from the John Marshall Law School and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan. Mr. Spink is a resident of Brighton.

About Super Lawyers
Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. To learn more, please visit www.superlawyers.com.

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 150 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. Brinks is based in Chicago and has offices in Ann Arbor, Mich., Indianapolis, Ind., Research Triangle Park, N.C., Salt Lake City, Utah, and Washington, DC. More information is available at www.usebrinks.com.