Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

Richards Patent Law is a Chicago, IL area patent law firm serving individuals and businesses of all sizes. I work with clients from across the United States and around the world to prepare, file and prosecute patents at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

I started Richards Patent Law after spending over eight years in the intellectual property group of the Chicago office of McDermott Will & Emery LLP, a large general practice firm where I concentrated my practice on patent prosecution, counseling, opinion work and litigation.

As a partner at McDermott, I managed international patent portfolios for several major corporations, as well as a number of small and medium sized businesses. I have experience in all phases of utility, design and PCT patent prosecution in many technical fields, including the areas of mechanical, electrical, computer systems, chemical and financial products technologies.

In addition to my extensive patent prosecution experience, I have counseled numerous clients on matters concerning: patent portfolio acquisition and management; patent portfolio licenses, sales and purchases; joint development agreements; freedom to practice opinions; patentability opinions; non-infringement opinions; and employment and non-compete agreements.

Representative technologies:
* computer software patents
* medical device patents
* dental device patents
* plastic packaging patents
* wireless networks patents
* electronic control systems patents
* electronic security systems patents
* automated electronic advertising systems patents
* electrolytic compositions and devices patents
* injection molding equipment patents
* machining and tooling instruments and products patents
* automotive technology patents
* advanced materials patents
* financial services and investments patents
* musical equipment patents
* business method patents
* green technology and sustainable technology patents

I earned my bachelors of science in civil engineering, with honors from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. I earned my law degree from the University of Virginia, School of Law. I am admitted to practice before the courts of Illinois and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and am registered to practice for the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

I am a founding member of Flachsbart & Greenspoon, LLC. A registered patent attorney, I concentrate my practice in the litigation and trial of patent cases involving computer and electronic technologies. My cases have involved computer, computer network and electronic technologies of the highest complexity, but also simple mechanical devices.

I have successfully argued numerous cases before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, including IMS Technology, Inc. v. Haas Automation, Inc., 206 F.3d 1422, 1430 (Fed. Cir. 2000), HyperPhrase Technologies LLC v. Google, Inc. (Case No. 2007-1125), and 1st Technology v. Rational Enterprises (Case No. 2008-1132). I served in 1995-1996 as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Brian Barnett Duff of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Our firm has filed friend-of-the-court briefs in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals for our clients, to advocate for their interests on issues of national importance.

Recent wins:

Won patent jury trial with co-counsel for automotive supplier Lear Corporation, jury verdict February 10, 2011.

Won inter-partes patent reexamination in the Patent and Trademark Office for patentee telecommunications vendor TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. in January 2011.

Specialties
Litigation and trial of intellectual property cases -- patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and related contract and business tort issues.