FITCH EVEN - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
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- Associate
- Associate Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
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- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
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- Partner Woodland Hills, CA 818.296.9669
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- Partner Washington, D.C.202.419.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
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- Partner
- Partner / Chicago
Calista J. Mitchell practices in all areas of intellectual property law, focusing primarily on patent prosecution and on opinions concerning freedom-to-operate, patent validity, and patentability. She has an active prosecution docket, both in the U.S. and abroad. Calista works closely with clients in the application drafting and prosecution stages so that the applications will meet their changing business needs in numerous jurisdictions around the world.
Calista has filed numerous design patent applications and works closely with clients to maximize the scope of protection sought and obtained in those applications. She also regularly advises overseas clients on how to modify their applications before filing in the U.S. to take advantage of differences in U.S. patent laws and procedures to enhance the value of their IP.
Calista counsels clients on intellectual property strategy and licensing, among other IP matters. In addition, she has experience drafting applications and developing patent prosecution strategies, including white space patent filings, with clients having interest in enforcing their IP rights to protect new technologies.
Since joining Fitch Even in 2005, Calista has worked with clients in a wide variety of industries, including these:
Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology
Food science
Medical devices, and
Mechanical technologies
After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Iowa, Calista remained at the school to work in their Department of Microbiology, studying virology. She later worked at Northwestern University in the Department of Pediatrics.
Calista's undergraduate and subsequent work led to publication of several articles in scientific journals. While in law school, she served as Executive Articles Editor for the Chicago-Kent Law Review and as an extern for the Illinois Appellate Court.
Calista is a member of Fitch Even's Executive Committee and the DE&I Committee.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / Chicago
Caroline A. Albright is a registered patent attorney currently focusing her practice on domestic and international patent preparation and prosecution and opinion work. Carrie also negotiates and prepares intellectual property agreements, including joint development agreements, confidentiality agreements, and other types of commercial agreements involving IP.
Job Titles:
- Partner Washington, D.C.202.419.7000
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- Recruiting / Wood IP Strategic Alliance
Dr. M. Anne Fahrni earned her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in organic chemistry from Northwestern University under the tutelage of Lyrica inventor Professor Richard Silverman. Dr. Fahrni began her professional career working in research and development for leading startup biopharmaceutical companies. Her research included regenerative medicine and treatments for cancer, obesity, and neurological disease.
Following her early work in R&D, Dr. Fahrni held a number of roles, including research fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, where she conducted research involving virus proteomics, among other projects.
In 2004, Dr. Fahrni expanded her career to include patent application preparation and prosecution and patent portfolio management. She was registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2005 and worked as a scientific advisor and patent practitioner at law firms in the Atlanta area for several years. She joined Wood IP as a senior patent agent in 2016.
Dr. Fahrni has experience in patent preparation and prosecution in a wide range of technical areas, including chemical, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, material science, medical devices, information technology, and mechanical arts. Her work also includes conducting freedom-to-operate and infringement analysis and IP-related due diligence.
Dr. Fahrni has been active with a number of professional organizations such as National Association of Patent Practitioners (NAPP), Georgia IP Alliance (GIPA), Women in Bio (WIB), and Chiefs in Intellectual Property (ChIPs).
Job Titles:
- Partner San Diego, CA 858.552.1311
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- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
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- Associate
- Associate / Chicago
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- Patent Agent San Luis Obispo, CA 805.548.1800
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- Associate
- Associate / San Diego
Jennifer V. Suarez is a registered patent attorney who currently focuses her practice on domestic and international patent preparation and prosecution, primarily in the electrical, mechanical, software, and medical arts. She also counsels clients on strategic development of their IP assets, conducts examiner interviews, and responds to USPTO and PCT office actions.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Los Angeles
- Patent Attorney
Jon A. Birmingham is a patent attorney and litigator who is particularly skilled at coordinating the prosecution of complex patent families on a global scale. Jon's practice has a strong focus on mechanical opinion and prosecution matters, including the creation of strategies to protect high-value products.
A wide range of clients rely on Jon's counsel. For over two decades, he has represented Fortune 500 companies as well as small and midsized companies in intellectual property litigation, opinion matters, and patent prosecution matters (including protecting designs).
Jon has handled complex litigation involving a broad range of technologies. These include electronic medical devices, fluid systems, printing presses, optical recognition software, network management software, and injection-molded automotive components.
Jon maintains an active patent prosecution and client counseling practice in a variety of technologies, particularly those involving the mechanical arts, such as high-speed automated equipment, consumer food product packaging, irrigation devices, automotive timing and transmission systems, household organizational products, and commercial printing equipment. He has participated in a number of intellectual property due diligence studies, product clearance studies, and IP value assessments.
Jon is a member of Fitch Even's Executive Committee.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Washington, D.C.
Kendrew H. Colton serves the intellectual property needs of his clients in established and emerging technologies. His primary focus is on chemistry, where his extensive experience in a variety of chemical and biochemical technologies ranges from agrochemicals to zeolites.
Job Titles:
- Partner Woodland Hills, CA 818.296.9669
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- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
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- Partner San Luis Obispo, CA 805.548.1800
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- Partner
- Managing Partner at Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery
- Partner / Chicago
Over the past 20+ years, Mark has earned a reputation for handling difficult and sophisticated intellectual property matters. Clients seek Mark's counsel on a wide range of IP matters, including the following:
Complex litigation
IP portfolio development and management
Complex post-grant proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Corporate IP and product development and clearance policies and programs
Licensing programs
Due diligence investigations
Acquisition of start-ups by major enterprises
IP acquisition and sales
Government and technology transfer contracting
"Buy American" requirements for government use or publicly funded projects
Domestic and international privacy policies and protection
Mark's clients are diverse. They are comprised of individuals-including renowned scientists-as well as investors, start-ups, market and industry leaders, and many businesses with household names. Mark not only works with many in-house counsels, but acts as general counsel for a number of clients.
Clients seek Mark's proven experience in building value in their intellectual property and protecting their IP portfolios. Over the years, for example, he has worked with clients at key, strategic stage gates, spotting high-stakes opportunities and potential problems and offering budget-minded recommendations and solutions. These individual, institutional, and corporate clients often rely on Mark's extensive understanding of government regulations.
A registered patent attorney, Mark's technical background is in the mechanical, electro-mechanical, hydro-mechanical, controls technology, and manufacturing arts. His representative areas of work include advanced water delivery systems and equipment, monitoring systems, air handling systems, appliances, biomedical products and techniques, building materials, control systems, and electrostatic discharge systems. In addition, he has helped clients working with furniture and home furnishings, irrigation and water conservation systems, large-scale industrial mixing systems, cutting tools, material processing and handling equipment, road-building equipment, paper converting (forms, printing, and packaging technology), recreational products, security devices, textiles, vehicle systems and components, and wastewater treatment.
Clients frequently turn to Mark to develop corporate IP policies and strategies, including product development and clearance programs and privacy policies and protection. His privacy work has grown significantly in recent years due to the flood of internet of things products and services. Clients recognize the time and value benefits of white-boarding with Mark's involvement in these areas.
Mark's transactional clients benefit from his experience with litigation and dispute resolution. He has represented clients in various patent, copyright, trademark, unfair competition, trade dress, contract, and licensing disputes. He has successfully litigated cases before district courts throughout the country, as well as before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and for the Seventh Circuit. Mark's dispute resolution efforts have resulted in numerous favorable results, including settlements, as well as successful trial results. He also has experience with complex post-grant proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office involving core patents for his clients.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Chicago
Job Titles:
- Partner San Diego, CA 858.552.1311
Job Titles:
- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner Washington, D.C.202.419.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Chicago
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Washington, D.C.
Job Titles:
- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Patent Agent Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
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- Partner
- Partner / San Diego
Job Titles:
- Partner Washington, D.C.202.419.7000
Job Titles:
- Associate Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Associate San Diego, CA 858.552.1311
Theodore A. Wood has a unique confluence of over four decades of software, electronics, and communications-related technical, legal, military, and business development leadership and experience. Ted holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering, in addition to his J.D. degree. His combined experience in the military and professional arenas have prepared him for his role of leading Wood IP as managing partner.
Ted served in the U.S. Air Force from 1981 to 2004. He started out as a satellite systems engineer, designing, programming, and testing sophisticated communications and electronic combat systems. His military assignments required not only complex technical skills but equally demanding leadership skills since the assignments often involved managing teams of engineers and/or contractors. Ted learned that leadership, character, trust, and teamwork are qualities that the military requires in its highest ranks and for advancement. His Air Force superiors gave Ted high marks and recommended him for early promotions. One Major General stated, "Captain Wood is a dynamic leader, superb engineer, and unparalleled public speaker. His oral presentations clarified complex issues and received superb reviews. He has excelled by every measure."
Job Titles:
- Associate Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Chicago
Timothy R. Baumann strives to provide clients with a full range of high-quality intellectual property services at a reasonable cost. He has extensive experience assisting clients in the acquisition, protection, and management of all forms of intellectual property, particularly through complex patent prosecution as well as through the preparation of infringement and validity opinions, reexamination proceedings, and patent licensing agreements.
Job Titles:
- Partner Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Associate Chicago, IL 312.577.7000
Job Titles:
- Partner San Diego, CA 858.552.1311
Job Titles:
- Partner San Diego, CA 858.552.1311