McAndrews, Held & Malloy

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	03/12/2007 McAndrews, Held & Malloy Announces New Board Members, Partners
	CHICAGO, IL – March 12, 2007 – McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd., one of the nation’s preeminent law firms specializing in intellectual property and complex technology law, today announced the elevation of six of the firm’s veteran attorneys to its Board of Directors and the promotion of nine attorneys to partner. “We are extremely pleased to recognize these highly deserving and accomplished attorneys who all embody our firm’s dedication to client service while helping to realize our vision to be the best legal resource on intellectual property and complex technology matters,” said George McAndrews, founding partner at McAndrews, Held & Malloy. “These attorneys all possess extraordinary levels of leadership, ability and expertise.” The new board members at McAndrews, Held & Malloy include the following: Joseph M. Barich specializes in developing and enforcing patent-based intellectual property portfolios that deliver value for clients. He has assisted clients in numerous successful licensing/settlement efforts, often involving portfolios that he helped create. He also regularly performs pre-market intellectual property product clearances for new products and performs analyses of the intellectual property of competitors and potential acquisitions or licensees. His practice includes internet and software applications, wireless and networked communications systems, medical systems, business methods and consumer products. He is a member of the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He also is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and currently serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois College of Law. Michael T. Cruz has significant experience in patent law, including preparation and prosecution of national, international and foreign patent applications over a wide range of fields in the electrical and mechanical arts. He is a member of the bars of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and the California Supreme Court. He is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Mirut P. Dalal is experienced in developing intellectual property portfolios centered around patents in the electronic arts. Recently, he has helped companies patent technology resulting from research and development outsourced to India. His experience includes significant travel to India, educating engineers in India about U.S. patent law, and working directly with those engineers to develop strategies for protecting their inventions. He is a member of the bars of Texas, Illinois and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He also devotes a significant amount of his time to the community. He received the 2006 Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Distinguished Service Award and is the President of the Indian American Bar Association of Chicago. Troy A. Groetken focuses on advanced domestic and foreign patent procurement, licensing and global portfolio management strategies on behalf of several international and Fortune 500 corporations. A registered patent attorney before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and board-certified pharmacist in Illinois, he specializes in chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnological matters involving new drug entities, drug delivery systems and combinational products involving small-molecule pharmaceutical and recombinant technologies. He also regularly advises clients regarding the strategic intellectual property protection of pharmaceutical supplements, surfactant technologies, agricultural compositions, gellants, polyols, lubricants, coatings, laundry and cleaning products, personal care and cosmetic formulations, alternative fuels and renewable energies. He is a licensed attorney in Iowa and Illinois and a member of the bars of the U.S. Supreme Court, Federal Circuit, and District Courts for the Northern District of Illinois and Southern District of Iowa. Scott P. McBride focuses on the procurement and enforcement of intellectual property rights, with a primary focus in patent litigation. His practice covers a diverse range of technologies including electronic, electrical, electromechanical and mechanical devices, with an emphasis on medical devices. He is a member of the bar of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Patricia J. McGrath has substantial experience in all areas of intellectual property law, with particular emphasis on patent litigation. She has worked in diverse innovative technologies, with a focus on the chemical arts, as well as other areas such as pharmaceuticals, internet communications, software, electrical dimming processes, contact lenses, light fixtures, direct metallization and biomedical devices. She has been involved in litigation involving antitrust, unfair competition, trade secrets, contracts and RICO violations. Her litigation experience includes participation in patent and other trials, Markman hearings, preliminary injunction proceedings and appellate practice. She is a member of the bars of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She also is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The new partners at McAndrews, Held & Malloy include the following: Matthew A. Anderson specializes in patent litigation. His work has involved a wide range of technologies such as cell phones, cable management devices, lighting fixtures, electronic lighting controls, barcode printers and surgical devices. He is a member of the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He also is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and D.C. Circuit. Christopher N. George specializes in a variety of patent prosecution and transactional matters including patent drafting and prosecution, licensing, patent validity and infringement opinions and due diligence investigations. He manages and helps develop patent portfolios for Fortune 500 and international corporations, as well as smaller ventures and universities. His patent litigation work involves technologies including medical devices, electronic games, computer software, data storage and cellular communications. He is a member of the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. William B. Gont has experience in numerous areas of patent litigation and prosecution relating to a variety of surgical instruments, medical devices, and waste gasification and lighting systems. His experience includes work in trademark and copyright areas. He is a member of the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He also is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Dennis P. Hackett assists clients with a wide variety of intellectual property matters, including patent litigation and prosecution, licensing and portfolio management, and trademark, copyright and trade-secret issues. His experience includes counseling clients on matters involving steel mill refractories, office and home furniture, lighting systems and medical devices. He is a member of the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Dennis H. Jaskoviak Jr. focuses on patent litigation, arbitration and patent prosecution. He has experience with a wide range of technologies including medical devices, nuclear power generation, steam turbine drives, turbine generators, fresh water distillation, heat transfer devices, refuse collection devices, friction clutches, and chain and sprocket drives. He is a member of the Illinois bar, the bar of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He also is licensed to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Deborah A. Laughton has experience in a wide range of intellectual property areas, with an emphasis on patent litigation. She has particular litigation experience in the field of medical devices, including such diverse technologies as orthopedic implants and components, surgical suction irrigators, pediatric hospital beds, nerve imaging technology and medical image capture systems. She has been involved with drafting opinions, due diligence investigations, and appeals before the Federal Circuit. She is a member of the bars of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and Western District of Michigan. She also is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Yufeng Ma has counseled clients from different industries and different countries on a variety of legal matters. He assists clients to secure, enforce, and/or transfer intellectual property rights (patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and/or copyrights). His patent work involves a wide range of technologies with a focus on chemistry, petrochemical and pharmaceutical matters. He was trained to be an intellectual property lawyer in China before coming to the United States, which has allowed him to assist with patent, trademark and unfair competition cases involving parties in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. He is a member of the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Shawn L. Peterson specializes in a variety of patent law areas, and has experience with numerous patent analysis activities including claim interpretation, patent infringement analysis and patent validity analysis. He also assists clients with identifying patentable inventions. He has handled matters involving technologies including telecommunications, computer hardware and software, user interface, digital and analog control, Internet and cable content delivery, power electronics, electric machines, sensors, robotics, electromechanical systems, computer simulation and electronic gaming, as well as a number of manufacturing technologies. He is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Hopeton S. Walker focuses primarily on patent prosecution, working on all aspects of technologies related to existing and next generation wired and wireless communications systems and technologies, including narrowband and broadband systems, access, infrastructure, transport and related user equipment (UE), and customer premise equipment (CPE). He is a member of the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. # # # About McAndrews, Held & Malloy Founded in 1988, McAndrews, Held & Malloy is one of the nation’s preeminent legal resources on intellectual property, antitrust and technology matters, serving institutions ranging from major multinationals and start-ups to world-class colleges and universities. The firm’s technically trained attorneys have built an unparalleled record of litigation successes in jury trials, bench trials and ADR proceedings. In addition, McAndrews, Held & Malloy offers its clients services in the following areas: patent and trademark procurement and portfolio management, patent interferences, trademark oppositions and cancellations, international practice, intellectual property/technology opinions and investigations, due diligence and M&A support, technology licensing and joint ventures, and technology transfers and donations. Additional information can be found at http://www.mcandrews-ip.com. CONTACT: Randy Labuzinski / David Schulte Healy & Schulte 312/440-3900 rlabuzinski@healyandschulte.com