GARVEY - Key Persons
Chuck Garvey has been a patent attorney since 1975, working at Ethyl Corporation and various patent law firms before founding GARVEY, SMITH & NEHRBASS, L.L.C. on 1 July 1998 with Greg Smith and Seth Nehrbass. Greg Smith has been a patent attorney since 1979, working at various patent law firms before founding our firm. While Seth Nehrbass did not become a patent attorney until 1990, his career in patent law began in 1982 when he worked as a patent examiner examining patent applications on semiconductor devices and electrolytic capacitors at the US Patent and Trademark Office. Vanessa D'Souza joined our firm in 2007 as a law clerk and became an attorney and patent attorney soon after. Julia FitzPatrick starting her legal career as a paralegal in June 2000, clerked for a state appeals court judge, and worked for various law firms in Louisiana before joining us in 2011 to help when Vanessa went on maternity leave. Mackenzie Rodríguez became a Certified Medical Technologist in 2002 before going to law school. She became a patent attorney in 2008 and joined us in 2012. Julie Rabalais Chauvin worked on a hip implant while in college and worked as a Research Specialist sequencing DNA. She became a patent attorney in 2011 and joined us in 2014. Fabian Nehrbass joined our firm in 2018 and became a patent attorney after practicing in civil defense litigation.
Charles C. Garvey, Jr. has over 45 years experience in intellectual property law. Chuck has developed a well-rounded practice including litigation, prosecution before the Patent and Trademark Office and client consultation on technology related issues. He has acted as lead counsel in several intellectual property law lawsuits, particularly patent suits. His office practice includes preparing technology transfer agreements and providing legal opinions on the state of the art, patentability and other intellectual property issues. Chuck obtained a J.D. and Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering from Louisiana State University.
Fabian Nehrbass is a registered Patent Attorney who practices in all aspects of intellectual property.
Fabian attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he majored in Biology (B.S.) and Political Science (B.A.), with a minor in Chemistry. Fabian graduated magna cum laude from Louisiana State University's Paul M. Hebert Law Center where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and a member of Louisiana Law Review.
Prior to joining Garvey, Smith & Nehrbass, Patent Attorneys, LLC and becoming a patent attorney, Fabian worked at King, Krebs & Jurgens (now King Jurgens) focused on defense litigation.
In his spare time, Fabian enjoys sports, photography, and escaping to the great outdoors.
Job Titles:
- PATENT ATTORNEY - of COUNSEL
Gregory C. Smith has over 30 years experience in intellectual property law as an attorney and lecturer. Greg's practice concentrates on patent and trademark litigation in state and federal courts, and patent and trademark prosecution before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Greg obtained his law degree from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law and a Bachelors degree in Chemistry and English from Louisiana State University. He has lectured in law at St. Mary's Dominican College, where he also served on the Law School Advisory Board. Greg is now of counsel to the firm.
Julia M. FitzPatrick became a patent attorney in 2007. She graduated with High Honors in 2006 from the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law, and she received her undergraduate degree in Genetics (cum laude) from the University of Georgia in 2000. During law school, she was a member of Law Review and focused her legal studies on intellectual property law, receiving awards for the highest grade in her Intellectual Property Survey and Patent Law Courses. Julia also received the Extra Muros Prize for the best Note on international law for her published Note that evaluated intellectual property issues in Third World Countries. While in law school, Julia also interned with the Utah Disability Law Center and volunteered at Utah Legal Services. After receiving her law degree, Julia clerked for a Judge on the Utah Court of Appeals for about two and a half years before returning home to Louisiana. She additionally has experience with litigation as an attorney, a law clerk while in law school, and a paralegal prior to law school. Julia is licensed to practice law in Louisiana and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office in patent cases. She remains licensed (though inactive) in Utah.
Julie Rabalais Chauvin was born and raised in New Orleans. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia and a law degree cum laude from University of Florida Levin College of Law. She has worked as a judicial intern in the Eastern District of Louisiana and in the US Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Florida. She has also worked as a research assistant at Loyola University Law School. While in college, she was part of a team that collaborated with two orthopedic surgeons at the University of Virginia Health System to develop a modified hip implant. Before attending law school, she worked as a Research Specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina. Julie is licensed to practice law in Louisiana and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office in patent cases.
Mackenzie D. Rodríguez is a 2008 graduate of Tulane Law School, which she attended on an academic scholarship. During law school, Mackenzie was a member of the Tulane Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property. In 2002, Mackenzie received a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science, magna cum laude from Northeastern University, Boston. Before going to law school, Mackenzie worked at the Scripps Research Institute, Molecular Experimental Medicine Dept., in La Jolla, CA and taught school in Balwinsville, NY. Mackenzie is licensed to practice law in Louisiana, Massachusetts, and New York, and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office in patent cases.
Seth M. Nehrbass has been actively involved in the prosecution of patent applications since 1982, both as a patent examiner and as a patent attorney. While Seth's technical background is in physics, he has prepared and prosecuted patent applications in a range of technologies including chemistry, mechanical engineering, electronics, medicine and medical devices. Seth also has experience in all phases of intellectual property litigation. He is fluent in French and Spanish and has a working knowledge of Portuguese, Italian and German. Seth obtained a Bachelor of Science degree (summa cum laude) from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) and a law degree (cum laude) from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law where he was on Law Review and a member of Moot Court. He previously served as an adjunct professor in patent law at Tulane Law School.
Vanessa M. D'Souza is a 2008 graduate of Tulane Law School where she focused on intellectual property law. During law school, Vanessa was a member of the Tulane Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property and was elected to serve as Editor-in-Chief for Volume 10. She was also a member of the Tulane Inn of Court, Student Bar Association, and served as representative to the American Bar Association. Her work experience includes externships with judges from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeal, and Louisiana 24th Judicial District Court. In 2003, Vanessa received a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and a Business minor from Tulane University. Vanessa is licensed to practice law in Louisiana and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office in patent cases.