Four Brinks Attorneys Named Leading Patent Litigators by Intellectual Asset Management Patent Litigation 250

Chicago, Ill. (PRWEB) April 26, 2011

Gary M. Ropski, James R. Sobieraj, Meredith Martin Addy and Thomas J. Filarski of Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione were named leading patent litigators in the inaugural issue of Intellectual Asset Management Patent Litigation 250 The Worlds Leading Patent Litigators, which covers all the world’s major patent litigation jurisdictions and chooses practitioners based on hundreds of interviews with senior private practice and in-house lawyers.

Gary Ropski, president of Brinks since 2006, is a trial lawyer with 35 years of experience in intellectual property. He has litigated in every federal judicial circuit in the United States and in almost all of the top ten districts for patent litigation. Ropski has participated in more than 100 IP lawsuits, and has received accolades for how he presents and rebuts claims in litigation, making complex topics easily understandable by a jury or judge. Ropski also taught patent and copyright law for 17 years at the Northwestern University School of Law.

James Sobieraj has more than 28 years of experience in litigating patent cases before juries, judges and arbitrators. He has represented companies in a variety of technologies including analog and digital electronics, microprocessors, software, medical devices, automotive components and various consumer goods. Sobieraj recently won a $ 26 million arbitration award for a firm client. He has served as the president of the Licensing Executives Society (USA & Canada) and the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago. Sobieraj is Brinks president-elect and will assume the firm presidency in 2012.

Meredith Martin Addy chairs Brinks Appellate Group, has earned extensive recognition as a leading appellate lawyer and has lodged several important Federal Circuit victories. Her practice also focuses on intellectual property cases in federal district court. Addy works with some of the nation’s highest-profile companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, in scientific research and in engineering. She is a member of the Federal Circuits Advisory Council and has testified on the State of the Federal Circuit and Patent Appeals before the Subcommittee of Congress. Addy was the first president and a founder of the IP-focused Richard Linn Inn of Court.

Tom Filarski litigates patent and Hatch-Waxman law in the U.S. District Courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the International Trade Commission. He represents companies in the pharmaceutical, medical device, biotech, chemical and electrochemical industries. Filarski is co-chair of Brinks Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Group. He has served on the firm’s board of directors and executive committee, and he is president-elect of the Licensing Executives Society (USA and Canada). Filarski authors the chapter “Patent Defenses” in BNA Books’ 2005 Patent Litigation Series Handbook, now in its second edition.

Intellectual Asset Management magazine reports on intellectual property as a business asset. The magazine focuses on how IP can be best managed and exploited to increase company profits, drive shareholder value and obtain increased leverage in the capital markets. Its core readership primarily comprises senior executives in IP-owning companies, corporate counsel, private practice lawyers and attorneys, licensing and technology transfer managers, and investors and analysts.

Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione is one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the United States and serves the intellectual property needs of clients around the world. Brinks has 150 attorneys, scientific advisors and patent agents who specialize in intellectual property litigation and all aspects of patent, trademark and copyright law. The firm also advises on issues relating to intellectual asset management, trade secret, unfair competition, and technology and licensing agreements. Brinks routinely handles assignments for companies in the electrical, chemical, and mechanical engineering sectors; the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and nanotechnology industries; and for companies whose work relates to Internet and computer technology law. The firms trademark practice works on behalf of clients who deal in a wide variety of products and services. Brinks is based in Chicago and has offices in Ann Arbor, Mich., Indianapolis, Ind., Raleigh, N.C., Salt Lake City, Utah, and Washington, DC. More information is available at http://www.usebrinks.com.

###