Press Releases
CHICAGO — The intellectual property law firm of Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione is pleased to announce that five attorneys have been promoted to shareholders, and three attorneys have been promoted to counsel.
“We're extremely pleased to promote these outstanding attorneys to shareholder and to counsel,” said Jerold A. Jacover, president of Brinks. “Each of them has served their clients in an exceptional manner, and we look forward to continued contributions from this group.”
The following five attorneys were named shareholders, effective Jan. 1, 2005:
James A. Collins specializes in litigation, copyright, opinions and patent prosecution in the electrical and mechanical arts. He received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and another B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 1993. Mr. Collins also received his J.D, magna cum laude, from Marquette University Law School in 1996, and his M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Before joining the firm, Mr. Collins worked for Delco Electronics Corporation as an engineer and manager.
Vineet Gauri specializes in intellectual property litigation, opinions and licensing. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering, from the University of Michigan in 1994, and his J.D. from the Boston University School of Law in 1997. Mr. Gauri is an adjunct professor at the Chicago-Kent College of Law. He is a member of the Trial Bar of the Northern District of Illinois and the Asian-American Bar Association of Chicago.
Thomas L. Holt specializes in trademark, trade dress, copyright and unfair competition law. He has extensive federal litigation experience and has represented numerous clients in inter partes proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Mr. Holt is also actively involved in counseling clients on trademark registration and enforcement issues and in managing U.S. and international trademark portfolios. Prior to joining Brinks, Mr. Holt was an associate at Leydig Voit & Mayer in Chicago. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1993, and his J.D. from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1997.
James L. Katz specializes in patent prosecution, opinions and litigation in the computer, electrical and mechanical arts. Prior to joining Brinks, Mr. Katz worked for the Amdahl Corporation and HaL Computer Systems, Inc. as a Test Engineer and Design Engineer, focusing on architectural design for enterprise-scale mainframe systems and multi-processor storage architecture design and verification. He received his B.S.E. in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1990, and his J.D. from the Indiana University School of Law in 1998.
Eric J. Sosenko specializes in patent and trademark procurement, as well as enforcement, defense and design alternative analysis. With a career spanning more than 15 years, he has directed the worldwide patent and trademark portfolios for several multinational clients and has developed significant international experience under various foreign national laws and international intellectual property law treaties. Prior joining the firm, he was a principal at Harness, Dickey and Pierce. Mr. Sosenko received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from West Virginia University in 1986, and his J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law in 1989.
The following three attorneys were named counsel, effective Jan. 1, 2005:
Jasper W. Dockrey specializes in patent opinions, prosecution, interferences and licensing. He has extensive experience in patent portfolio evaluation, patent validity and infringement analysis, and has also prepared pleadings, motions and legal memoranda in support of patent litigation and interferences. Mr. Dockrey holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of South Dakota and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Colorado State University. He received his J.D. from the John Marshall Law School in 1996.
Christopher A. Harkins specializes in litigation and patent prosecution. He has litigated in the areas of patent, copyright, trade secrets, trademark, tort and contracts, and has prosecuted patents in the mechanical arts and medical devices. He also represents many pro bono clients, and actively supports the firm's award-winning pro bono program. Mr. Harkins received his B.S. in Chemistry, summa cum laude, from Illinois State University. He received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1990.
Janet A. Pioli focuses on intellectual property litigation at both the federal district and appellate court levels, patent prosecution, patent clearance studies in a variety of disciplines and intellectual property licensing. Her litigation experience also includes numerous appeals at the federal and state court levels. She also has significant experience in advertising review and clearance and false advertising litigation matters. Ms. Pioli also is actively involved in various pro bono matters. She received her B.S. in Political Science from Illinois State University in 1981, and her J.D., cum laude, from the Northern Illinois University College of Law in 1984. After receiving her law degree, Ms. Pioli furthered her education in chemistry and biology at the Illinois Institute of Technology. She has been a registered patent attorney since 1992.
Founded in 1917, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione is based in Chicago with four other offices across the country and serves the intellectual property needs of clients from around the world. The firm is one of the largest IP law firms in the country, with approximately 150 attorneys who specialize in intellectual property litigation and all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and Internet work, unfair competition, and technology and licensing agreements. Visit the firm online at www.USEBRINKS.com.
