DETROIT, Dec. 15 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network — Four senior attorneys from the intellectual property team at Howard & Howard, including its leader, have
joined the law firm of Dickinson Wright PLLC. Dickinson Wright is now one of
the largest full-service providers of intellectual property and patent
services in the state.
Joining Dickinson Wright as Members are William H. Honaker, Robert L.
Stearns, Randall L. Shoemaker, and Edmund P. Anderson.
“The addition of these new attorneys will complement the strength and
expertise of our current intellectual property team,” said James A. Samborn,
Chief Executive Officer of Dickinson Wright. “We are committed to growing our
intellectual property practice, but only through the addition of highly
regarded attorneys with proven expertise.”
With these four registered patent attorneys joining the firm, Dickinson
Wright now has over 20 attorneys principally engaged in an intellectual
property practice, including a Member with a Ph.D. in pharmacology and a
patent agent with a Ph.D. in biochemistry. Seven of the Firm’s intellectual
property attorneys also have in-house legal experience, thus providing
additional client perspective to the timely delivery of exceptional legal
services in the areas of patent, trademark, copyright and licensing.
As a full-service law firm, Dickinson Wright offers the technical
expertise of a boutique firm, along with greater capabilities and business-
related experience in melding intellectual property with a client’s business
and objectives. Boutiques rooted in “preparation and prosecution” rarely see
the same breadth of intellectual property issues. The addition of these
attorneys to the Firm’s already deep intellectual property and corporate areas
affords the Firm the chance to experience how business relates to intellectual
property and apply that experience to a client’s business.
The team assists clients on multi-national intellectual property related
matters and has industry experience in biotech, robotics, medical devices,
electronics and electromechanical devices, automotive, furniture
manufacturing, software, material handling, chemical, oil and gas, food
processing, clothing, and educational services. Its services include all
forms of intellectual property dispute resolution and litigation, patent and
trademark preparation and prosecution, all forms of licensing, counseling on
the development, protection and management of intellectual property, due
diligence in conjunction with mergers and acquisitions, and advising on
employment-related matters. The Firm’s ability to offer clients world-class
intellectual property services within the framework of an outstanding general
practice firm allows it to address clients’ needs in a practical, results-
oriented manner, creating the efficiencies and effectiveness required in
today’s business environment.
William H. Honaker will head the Firm’s patent team. A former examiner at
the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and a degreed mechanical engineer, Mr.
Honaker specializes in intellectual property matters including national and
international protection of inventions and inventors, trademarks and
copyrightable subject matter, and the licensing of technology with a special
emphasis on computer related technology and ownership issues. Mr. Honaker
represents clients in the automotive, medical instrument, food processing and
computer industries. He is past chairman of the Intellectual Property Law
Section of the State Bar of Michigan and is a member of the American Bar
Association, Michigan Patent Law Association, the American Intellectual
Property Law Association and International Trademark Association.
Robert L. Stearns, a degreed metallurgical/material science engineer,
specializes in intellectual property law and is registered to practice before
the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He is engaged in all phases of patent,
trademark and copyright practice, with a focus on preparing and prosecuting
patent applications, patent infringement and validity studies and opinions and
licensing. His experience encompasses a wide range of technologies including:
metal casting arts, powder metal technology, electro-optical materials,
thermal spraying; heat treating, sliding bearings, pistons, seals and gaskets,
isolator fastening assemblies, protective sleeving, and automotive steering
columns, braking systems, CV joints and hydraulic pumps and hoses. His
clients range from small start-up companies exhibiting great potential to
well-established multi-billion dollar corporations. Mr. Stearns attended
Michigan Technological University earning a B.S. in Metallurgical/Materials
Science Engineering in 1987 and received a J.D. from the Detroit College of
Law in 1991. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar
Association, and the Federal Circuit Bar Association and the Michigan Patent
Law Association. He is also a member of the American Foundry Society and the
American Society of Metals.
Dr. Randall L. Shoemaker, who holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology, concentrates
his practice in patent, copyright and trademark law and brings a wealth of
experience to the Firm’s biotechnology practice. He has prepared and
prosecuted patent and trademark applications, freedom to operate and
infringement opinions worldwide covering a wide variety of technologies
including: chemical inventions, especially polymer chemistry, biochemical
applications, materials coating technology and processes, biotechnological
applications, surgical and medical devices, food processing equipment and
technology, and a wide variety of basic mechanical technologies. Dr.
Shoemaker received his Ph.D. from Wayne State University School of Medicine in
1990, his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1996 and his B.S.
in biology from Calvin College in 1983. He is a member of the American Bar
Association, State Bar of Michigan, and the Michigan Intellectual Property Law
Association.
Edmund P. Anderson, a degreed metallurgical engineer, has both in-house
and law firm experience. He has extensive U.S. and international experience
in preparing and prosecuting patent applications within a wide variety of
materials, chemical, electronic, electrical, electro-mechanical and mechanical
arts. Mr. Anderson’s practice has included complete client counseling and
patent portfolio development and management responsibility for multi-billion
dollar business units in several industries, including automotive, industrial
electrical systems, industrial automation systems, plastics, silicones,
defense systems, home automation systems and consumer electronics.
He has
experience in global business transactions involving intellectual property,
including teaming agreements, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint
development and joint venture agreements. He also has patent enforcement and
litigation experience, including patent infringement and validity studies and
opinions, and ITC enforcement. Mr. Anderson graduated from Michigan
Technological University with a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering with high
honors and received his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.
About Dickinson Wright PLLC
Dickinson Wright PLLC, founded in 1878, has more than 200 attorneys in
offices located in Detroit, Bloomfield Hills, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Ann
Arbor, and Washington, D.C. Dickinson Wright is a full-service law firm with
more than 40 practice areas. For more information, visit
http://www.dickinsonwright.com .
Web Site: http://www.dickinsonwright.com
