April 5, 2005, Washington, D.C.– LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Steptoe & Johnson LLP has announced the addition of Roger W. Parkhurst as partner and Charles A. Wendel as of counsel, in the firm’s intellectual property practice group in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Parkhurst and Mr. Wendel were formerly founders and partners at Parkhurst & Wendel LLP, Alexandria, Virginia, an intellectual property boutique named among the best patent prosecution firms in the U.S. by IP Law & Business in 2003. Mr. Parkhurst recently served as President of the 16,000 member American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA).
“Steptoe is fortunate to gain two prominent and talented attorneys with extensive experience across the IP spectrum, including patent and trademark litigation, prosecution and counseling,” said Alfred M. Mamlet, head of the firm’s Intellectual Property practice group. “Their talents and experience will provide immediate benefits to our clients and to Steptoe’s rapidly expanding IP practice.”
A 1968 graduate of The George Washington University Law School, Mr. Parkhurst earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from Purdue University in 1965. After law school, he served in the Patent Department at Xerox Corporation and then joined Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher of Arlington, VA, in 1971, and became a partner in 1975. He was subsequently a partner at Arnold, White & Durkee before founding Parkhurst & Wendel in 1990.
His technical specialties include chemical engineering, ceramics, electronic ceramics, metals, mechanics, textiles, electrostatics, electrophotography, biotechnology and plants
“Chuck and I built a successful firm which for many years provided us with challenging and interesting clients, but practicing with a larger group of high quality attorneys on an international platform will offer expanded opportunities and provide our clients with a broader range of services,” said Mr. Parkhurst.
Mr. Wendel graduated from Washington College of Law at American University in 1968, and from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 1964. Following graduation from Rensselaer, he joined the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a Patent Examiner in the high polymer group. He subsequently worked in the Patent Department of Union Carbide Corporation for four years, before joining Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher in 1970, and becoming a partner in 1976. After later practicing at Wegner & Bretschneider from 1983 to 1985, Mr. Wendel was an Associate Solicitor at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, then practiced with Lyon & Lyon, Washington, D.C. He joined Mr. Parkhurst in founding Parkhurst & Wendel in 1990.
Mr. Wendel’s technical specialties include polymers, organic chemistry, pharmaceuticals, biochemistry and biotechnology.
Both Mr. Parkhurst and Mr. Wendel are admitted to the bars of the District of Columbia, Virginia and New York, and to the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and Fourth Circuit, and in the U.S. District Courts for the District of Columbia, Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, and admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Parkhurst is also admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit and to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.
With more than 400 attorneys, Steptoe & Johnson LLP provides counsel and
representation in a wide range of legal fields. In more than 50 years of
practice, the firm has gained a national and international reputation for
vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful
advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in
guiding business transactions. Steptoe has offices in Washington, New York, Phoenix, Los Angeles, London and Brussels. For more information, see www.steptoe.com.
