NEW YORK- LAWFUEL – Law News Network –Kenyon & Kenyon LLP, one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the world, announced today the election of three partners and two counsel in the firm’s New York and Washington, DC offices.
The firm elected Linda Shudy Lecomte, Neil M. McCarthy and Michael M. Shen to the partnership and Dr. Joseph A. Coppola and Dr. Carmella L. Stephens to counsel positions.
“We welcome these talented lawyers into the partnership and to counsel positions at the firm,” said Richard S. Gresalfi, Managing Partner of Kenyon. “The depth and breadth of their expertise reflect the firm as a whole, and they will each make a significant contribution to the firm’s continued success as one of the top IP practices in the nation and worldwide.”
In keeping with Kenyon & Kenyon’s historical commitment to the training and professional growth of its attorneys and to pro bono activities, the firm has also announced the appointment of Dr. John E. Tsavaris II to the position of Director of Professional Development and Special Counsel.
“John will develop, conduct and coordinate in-house training programs for all attorneys. He will also be responsible for managing the firm’s ever-growing pro bono activities,” Richard S. Gresalfi said. “We are excited about the opportunity to provide enhanced training and pro bono opportunities and believe that John possesses the right mix of legal and educational experience and interpersonal skills to take the firm’s activities in these areas to the next level.”
2006 Partners
Linda Shudy Lecomte, based in the firm’s New York office, focuses her practice primarily on patent prosecution (both foreign and domestic) and counseling, including opinions, licensing, due diligence evaluations and transactions, with particular emphasis in the electrical, computer software, mechanical, and biomedical arts. Ms. Lecomte also has litigation experience in the telecommunications and licensing areas. Ms. Lecomte’s experience covers a vast range of technologies, including telecommunications, software applications and systems, computer devices and peripherals, automotive devices and systems, chemical processes and medical devices. Ms. Lecomte has counseled a wide range of clients, from multinational corporations to small businesses and individuals. Prior to joining the New York office, Ms. Lecomte worked for the firm in Frankfurt, Germany for three years.
Neil M. McCarthy, based in the firm’s Washington, DC office, focuses his practice primarily on client counseling, with an emphasis in rendering opinions relating to patent infringement and validity issues in all aspects of the pharmaceutical arts, including new chemical entities, therapeutic indications and formulations. Much of this work has involved patent matters related to filings of Abbreviated New Drug Applications by generic drug manufacturers. Mr. McCarthy has drafted opinions in other technical areas, including polymeric laminates, agrichemicals, air purification devices and medical devices. Mr. McCarthy also has substantial experience in drafting and prosecuting patent applications in diverse technologies, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, polymeric compositions, agrichemicals, electro-optical devices and waste water/sludge and exhaust gas treatment. Mr. McCarthy has experience in inter partes interference practice, has worked with foreign counsel in EP oppositions, has conducted due diligence studies and has assisted in litigation of pharmaceutical patents.
Michael M. Shen, based in the firm’s Washington, DC office, focuses his practice on all aspects of intellectual property litigation. Mr. Shen has appeared before various federal district and appellate courts and has litigated patent cases in many technological areas, including electrical connectors, chemical processes, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, as well as trade secret and trademark cases. Mr. Shen counsels clients on intellectual property matters, including rendering legal opinions on patent infringement and invalidity issues, and negotiating and drafting licenses and settlement agreements. He has experience conducting interference proceedings and prosecuting patents before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Representative technologies include electrical connectors, biotechnology, industrial chemicals, polymer chemistry, photo film, semi-conductor processing, batteries and pharmaceuticals. Mr. Shen also devotes time to pro bono matters and is currently acting as lead counsel in a capital appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court.
Director of Professional Development and Special Counsel
John E. Tsavaris II, Ph.D., based in the firm’s New York office, practices primarily in the prosecution of mechanical patent applications, including a concentration in medical devices. In addition to his 20 years at Kenyon & Kenyon, Dr. Tsavaris brings more than 15 years of experience as a nationally recognized patent law lecturer for The Practising Law Institute and The Patent Resources Group in both basic and advanced courses. He is the co-author of the text, “Draft and Prosecute Winning Patents” (PRIG) and is the co-editor of the eight volume treatise, “Patent Practice” (PRG). Dr. Tsavaris is also a longtime Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham Law School and Cardozo Law School. He has directed the firm’s highly praised High School Mentor Program and was honored by the New York State Bar Association with its Distinguished Service Award as the single most outstanding attorney in New York State in a law-related education program. The firm has received the Manhattan Borough President’s Award and the New York County Lawyers Association Pro Bono Award for his work with inner-city students.
2006 Counsel
Joseph A. Coppola, Ph.D., based in the firm’s New York office, has extensive experience in the area of biotechnology and pharmaceutical patent prosecution, opinions, interferences and licensing. Prior to joining the firm, Dr. Coppola spent five years in Merck’s biotechnology group, where he obtained patents and provided validity and infringement opinions in various areas, such as newly discovered genes, drug discovery assays, Alzheimer’s disease research, functional genomics, ion channels, hepatitis C virus, inflammation, combinatorial chemistry, proteomics, diabetes, monoclonal antibodies, the crystal structures of proteins, transgenic mice and vaccines. He has published research results in such journals as Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Molecular Biology, Oncogene and Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Carmella L. Stephens, Ph.D., based in the firm’s New York office, focuses her practice on patent prosecution in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. She has prepared and prosecuted many applications involving gene therapy, RNA-based therapeutics, bioassays, immunobiology, signal transduction and genomics, to name a few. She has also counseled clients on legal issues relating to patent enforcement, validity and infringement, licensing and business development. Dr. Stephens has been an instructor for the Practicing Law Institute’s yearly Conference on Advanced Claim Drafting & Amendment Writing in Biotechnology Practice, and she recently made a presentation on the current status of U.S. patent reform at the New York Biotechnology Association’s annual meeting.
About Kenyon & Kenyon
With over 200 lawyers devoted to intellectual property, Kenyon & Kenyon is consistently ranked by peers and in-house counsel as one of the top firms for IP. Since its founding in 1879, the firm has provided its worldwide clientele with litigation, prosecution, licensing and counseling services. Large and small enterprises and individuals choose Kenyon to design and implement intellectual property strategies when it matters most. The firm has offices in New York, Washington, DC and Silicon Valley.
