MASCHOFF BRENNAN - Key Persons
Abigail assists our litigation team with document production, database management, trial and deposition preparation, and assisting in the preparation of court filings.
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Job Titles:
- Engineer
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Andrew Lee considers himself an engineer who practices patent law. He enjoys working with inventors and company R&D personnel to fully evaluate and protect their inventions. Andrew's practice principally focuses on the preparing and prosecution of software, electrical and electro-mechanical patent applications. He has extensive experience in preparing and prosecuting patent applications for filing in the United States, European Union, Germany, and China within the art of autonomous vehicle software, imaging and object recognition, LiDAR/RADAR/SONAR devices, signal processing, wireless communications, and advanced driver-assist safety systems.
Before becoming a lawyer, Andrew worked for two years in Nagoya, Japan as an in-house U.S. patent attorney for a tier-1 automotive supplier. His experience working client-side allows him to approach his clients' issues with a unique perspective that helps him to provide practical strategies and advice that fully appreciates the scope of their inventions while accomplishing their business objectives. In addition, because of his time in Japan, Andrew has special insight into the business, cultural and technical aspects of that country's tech industry.
Today, Andrew concentrates his intellectual property practice in preparing and prosecuting U.S. patent applications, strategic portfolio management, and post-grant prosecution.
Andrew received his Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is admitted to the California State Bar, the Illinois State Bar, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Andrew enjoys racing and motorsports. He attends the Long Beach Grand Prix every year with his wife and young son and is a member of the Sports Car Club of America and the Porsche Club of America.
Job Titles:
- Engineer
- Registered Patent Attorney Attorney
Ararat trained as an engineer in electrical, biomedical, and environmental engineering and has more than 20 years of experience as a patent attorney. He has prepared and prosecuted many patent applications and analyzed patents (including large patent portfolios) for infringement and validity in various contexts. Ararat has also provided patent law and technical advice to litigation counsel in complex patent litigation matters and to technology transactions and corporate attorneys in due diligence and licensing projects.
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Bethany Adamek is the Executive Director for Maschoff Brennan. Bethany oversees the operations of the firm's five offices, including human resources, marketing, information technology, and more. Prior to being named Executive Director, she served as the firm's Human Resources director. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Lake Superior State University, a Master of Business Administration from Weber State University, and holds Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) certifications.
As a native Michigander, Bethany takes full advantage of living in the mountains and loves to run, hike and ski with her young family.
Job Titles:
- Prosecution Support Manager
Brian Gonzalez oversees the prosecution efforts of the firm as the prosecution support manager. He works alongside attorneys and support staff to assist Maschoff Brennan clients with prosecution matters. Gonzalez also manages the Salt Lake City office. Gonzalez is versed in all aspects of domestic and foreign patent prosecution. He's worked in the IP law field for more than ten years.
In his spare time, Brian enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters. He also enjoys running and mountain biking.
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Associate
Carol Hanna's practice focuses on intellectual property litigation and prosecution. She is experienced in complex intellectual property litigation and has litigated a range of cases involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secret misappropriation, software copyright infringement and misappropriation, as well as having prosecuted many patent and trademark applications and speedily obtaining the issuance of numerous patents and trademarks for her clients. Ms. Hanna is also experienced in trademark litigation at the federal level and in state courts. Ms. Hanna also has experience with complex civil litigation involving breach of contract disputes, corporate officer liability and corporate disputes, complex civil defense litigation, securities litigation and FINRA arbitrations, professional liability defense, corporate and commercial litigation including actions involving corporate shareholder and officer liability, breach of contract, and more. Ms. Hanna also has experience with numerous transactional matters including thorough patent and trademark searches, non-infringement opinions, freedom to operate opinions, invalidity analyses, and contractual matters.
Ms. Hanna excels in performing thorough legal research and preparing well-researched motions and oppositions, often securing dismissals at the pleading stage of litigation. Ms. Hanna has an extensive prior background as a software engineer and specifically in the development of mobile and browser-based applications in the communications and travel industries. Ms. Hanna loves her work, is truly passionate about practicing law, and zealously advocates for each and every client and case.
Job Titles:
- Director of Business Development and Marketing
Carolee Swallie serves as Director of Business Development and Marketing for Maschoff Brennan. She works with firm leadership, practice groups, and individual attorneys in setting and driving business development agendas and forging collaborative relationships with the clients they serve.
Carolee and her team are focused on helping the firm's attorneys connect with clients by building and strengthening business relationships, delivering services in new ways, and continuously improving the client experience.
Within this framework, she provides strategic direction around the creation and implementation of the firm's long-range business development plans and initiatives. Carolee is also charged with overseeing the conception and execution of client service strategies, client entertainment and appreciation, internal and external communications, advertising, social media, public relations, website, analytics, and brand management. In addition, she directs the execution of cutting-edge business development initiatives at the firm through training, education, and coaching. She feels incredibly proud and privileged to work every day with some of the brightest legal minds in a firm that values the power of business development and marketing.
Carolee has over two decades of experience working with national and AmLaw 200 law firms, previously holding leadership positions at Dorsey & Whitney; Kirkland & Ellis; Brinks Gilson & Lione, and most recently, Poyner Spruill. She holds a master's degree in integrated marketing communications from Northwestern University and a bachelor's in mass communication and journalism from Utah State University. She also has been published frequently in legal publications and delivers speeches on a range of topics such as legal marketing, sales, legal metrics, and professional development and training.
Outside the office, Carolee enjoys traveling and finding those interesting places "even the locals don't know about." She is an avid gamer and spends much of her free time playing MMOs, FPSs, and traditional board games.
Job Titles:
- Attorney at Law
- Leader
- Partner
- Editor of the 3rd Edition of Practising Law Institute's
Charles Barquist is a trial lawyer and IP litigator. His practice is focused on business litigation including patents and other intellectual property, antitrust and unfair competition, and dispute resolution for technology companies.
Mr. Barquist has achieved outstanding results in patent litigation for several foreign and domestic clients in U.S. courts and before the International Trade Commission (ITC). Successful trial results include defense wins for EchoStar in the Eastern District of Texas and the ITC, and a plaintiff's verdict against Microsoft on behalf of an individual inventor. Mr. Barquist was part of the trial team in Apple v. Samsung, with Apple prevailing both at the ITC and in District Court. Mr. Barquist won summary judgment of non-infringement for Capital One against prolific inventor and litigant Walker Digital, a victory affirmed by the Federal Circuit. Mr. Barquist led a team that won a $35 million settlement in a patent infringement action in Minnesota for Angeion Corporation, a manufacturer of implantable defibrillators, and a favorable settlement for Veeco Instruments in enforcing its patents covering atomic force microscopy. Other patent litigation has involved technologies such as smartphones, virtual cameras, medical lasers, hard disk drives, infrared thermometers, rechargeable batteries, digital satellite receivers, and environmental stress screening equipment, in such jurisdictions as Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and California (including San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles).
Mr. Barquist also has conducted numerous adversarial licensing negotiations with patent holders in the U.S., Asia, and Europe. He has handled a number of copyright, trademark, and unfair competition matters on behalf of domestic and international clients, including a leading CD/DVD replicator, a Big Five accounting firm, a major telecommunications company, an airline, a major toy manufacturer, and a number of Japanese electronics and food product companies.
In addition, Mr. Barquist is experienced in other complex commercial and business litigation, including antitrust, products liability, and environmental matters. Significant cases include an antitrust action on behalf of SpaceX, a consumer class action against Microstar International, an ICC arbitration in Stockholm involving a turn-key electronics factory in China, an AAA arbitration involving development of a new anti-cancer drug, a products liability trial in New York in which a defense verdict was obtained for a U.S. automaker, representation of a major Wall Street investment bank in a securities fraud arbitration in Chicago in which all claims were dismissed, and the defense of environmental challenges to the harbor improvement plans of a major West Coast port.
Mr. Barquist also has handled a number of pro bono matters, most recently winning an attorneys' fee award of $1.8 million in an action challenging discrimination against mentally disabled participants in the General Relief program administered by the County of Los Angeles. Other matters include a challenge to California's distribution of funds for a federal summer jobs program, which recouped $1 million for the San Francisco program, and the winning of a preliminary injunction requiring water releases to protect environmental values in lower Putah Creek, near Davis, California.
Mr. Barquist is also a leader in the profession. He has served as president of the Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association, as chairman of the USC Gould School of Law Intellectual Property Institute, and as chairman of the Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Section and the International Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has also served as Chair of the Institute for Corporate Counsel in Los Angeles and currently serves as a member of its Board of Governors.
Mr. Barquist is the editor of the 3rd edition of Practising Law Institute's, Patent Litigation treatise, published in October 2015.
Mr. Barquist is listed in Global Counsel 3000 as a Recommended Intellectual Property practitioner in Los Angeles and was recognized as a Southern California "Super Lawyer" every year from 2004 through 2021. He was named the Best Lawyers® 2022 Litigation - Patent "Lawyer of the Year" in Orange County and the Best Lawyers® 2017 Litigation - Patent "Lawyer of the Year" in Los Angeles. He was also selected for inclusion in the 2007-2022 editions of The Best Lawyers in America in the specialty of intellectual property law. Mr. Barquist is a 2014 recipient of the Burton Award for Legal Achievement, which honors excellence in legal writing.
Mr. Barquist received his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School and his A.B., with high distinction and high honors, from the University of Michigan. After earning his law degree, Mr. Barquist clerked for the Honorable Milton Pollack in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Job Titles:
- Attorney at Law
- Member of the Firm 's Orange
Christina Trinh is a member of the Firm's Orange County office. She focuses her practice on complex and intellectual property litigation representing individual and corporate clients, including public and private entities, in both state and federal court, as well as appellate and administrative proceedings. She has particular experience handling patent and trademark infringement, breach of contract, fraud, unfair competition, professional negligence, copyright, and trade secret misappropriation matters.
During law school, Christina served as a judicial extern in the Patent Pilot Program at the United States District Court, Central District of California.
Christina earned her J.D. from USC Gould School of Law, where she received the American Jurisprudence Award in International Business Transactions and Carl Mason Franklin Award in International Law. She also served as the Executive Lieutenant Governor for the Ninth Circuit of the American Bar Association- Law Student Division, and she served as a Committee Member for USC's Student Bar Association, including the Library and Technology Committee and LA Supreme Court Philanthropy Committee. She earned her B.A. in Political Science with a focus on Political Theory and Intellectual Property from the University of California, Irvine.
When not at work, Christina takes advantage of California's sun and scenic vistas by hiking the state's nature trails and working on her golf game. She also enjoys cooking, baking, video games, and plays a mean game of billiards.
Claire has more than six years of Intellectual Property experience. She is highly skilled in drafting patent prosecution documents for filing with the United States Patent & Trademark Office. She provides support to the IP team members with special projects and overflow of routine responsibilities.
In her free time, Claire enjoys spending time with her husband rock climbing, traveling, and enjoying the outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Director of IT
- IT Director
Dan Evans is the Director of IT for Maschoff Brennan and is responsible for aligning the firm's technology initiatives with the firm's strategic direction. He oversees all aspects of Maschoff Brennan's technology including, hardware and application support, infrastructure design and implementation, user and client support services, technology education, data security and awareness, business continuity and disaster recovery for its Park City, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Orange County offices. In addition, Dan works with attorneys to identify and capitalize on opportunities to leverage technology to add efficiency, productivity, and value to client services.
Over the past twenty years Dan held a gauntlet of IT titles from Help Desk, Exam Reviewer for Certiport (Microsoft), Adjunct Professor, IT Manager, Trainer, Training Manager, Regional Director, Support Services Manager, Apps Admin, Systems Admin, Sr. Systems Admin, and IT Director. He has a degree in Computer Information Systems from Brigham Young University and is also an active member of the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA).
In his spare time, Dan enjoys traveling the world with his wife, playing games of any sort with his youngest brother or his three daughters, drawing, painting, playing the piano, creating games for the local comic conventions, editing videos for said games and learning new technologies that help make life easier.
Job Titles:
- Agent in the Orange County Office
- Patent Agent
Dr. David Old is a patent agent in the Orange County office of Maschoff Brennan, assisting clients with a variety of patent prosecution matters in the life sciences and technology. Prior to joining the firm, Dr. Old was a Director of Medicinal Chemistry at Allergan, managing multiple projects targeting a variety of diseases.
Dr. Old has more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and academic labs and holds 121 patents and 12 publications. Six of his patents were developed in the Buchwald lab at MIT, where Dr. Old invented "Davephos," which established the foundation for the commonly known "Buchwald ligands." At Allergan, two compounds invented by Dr. Old reached phase II clinical trials.
As a patent holder, Dr. Old understands the importance and personal attachment that inventors have with their intellectual property, and he brings this firsthand knowledge and experience to bear with his clients.
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Erynn Embree concentrates her practice on intellectual property and complex litigation, with particular focus on patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret disputes. She is experienced in all phases of litigation, including pre-filing investigations, fact and expert discovery, witness preparation, discovery and dispositive motions practice, claim construction proceedings, and trial and post-trial proceedings. She has experience representing clients in federal and state courts across the country, the US Patent and Trademark Office, as well as the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Erynn advises clients in a wide range of industries, ranging from solar companies to software companies to medical device companies. She makes a point of obtaining a deep understanding of the facts and details of every case in order to create an advantage for her clients. Because she has served as both plaintiff's and defendant's counsel, Erynn offers a holistic point of view when identifying the strengths and weaknesses of a case and makes sure her client's business objectives drive the litigation strategy. Clients also appreciate her ability to boil complex legal matters down to their essential parts and convey that information in an organized, easily understood way.
In addition to her intellectual property litigation practice, Erynn has experience in other complex litigation cases, including false advertising, unfair competition, and breach of contract disputes.
While Erynn enjoys working with all types of inventors and technologies, it's her background in cell biology and the biological sciences that have provided her with formidable research skills and logical reasoning capabilities. During her undergraduate studies, Erynn researched the methods of long-distance tissue patterning and cell signaling using Dpp protein mutants.
Erynn received her J.D. from the UCLA School of Law and her B.S. from the University of California, Irvine. While earning her law degree, Erynn served as a judicial extern for the Hon. Andrew Guilford, the Hon. James Otero, the Hon. John Kronstadt, and the Hon. George Wu as part of the Patent Pilot Program in the Central District of California.
When not at work, Erynn enjoys traveling, going to the beach, and keeping up her daily streak in Wordle.
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Associate
Job Titles:
- Litigation Support Manager
JoLin has almost twenty years of experience in the IP prosecution and management field. She is highly skilled in drafting both patent and trademark prosecution documents for filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in addition to PCT filings within the United States. She also specializes in foreign patent prosecution.
JoLin has extensive management experience, including training of new legal assistants and paralegals on IP rules and procedures, as well as docketing, billing, firm operations, policies, and administration.
JoLin's past work experience includes managing paralegal services for clients located throughout Silicon Valley, Japan, and Utah. For example, JoLin has managed paralegal services for clients such as Google, Medicity, Progress Software Corporation, ShoreTel, Toyota ITC, and YouTube, among others.
In her spare time, JoLin enjoys spending time with her two boys. JoLin is proud of both of her sons, one of whom is currently a goalie on two different hockey teams. JoLin and her family enjoy traveling at least once a month to watch hockey tournaments.
Job Titles:
- Shareholder
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Jonathan Benns is a shareholder and an intellectual property attorney with Maschoff Brennan, where he focuses on patent drafting and prosecution of international patent applications in order to obtain granted patents all across the world. He has particular experience in preparing patent applications that provide the required basis and support for obtaining international patent claims that result in broad coverage for patent protection in each jurisdiction. His experience in handling both domestic and international patent prosecution, whether locally or foreign sourced, gives his clients a unique advantage from obtaining counsel based on seasoned education in the intellectual property arts. Jonathan frequently provides counsel on numerous patent issues to advise his clients on clearance inquiries, patentability assessments, freedom-to-operate reviews, infringement analyses, non-infringement strategies, and other patent-related issues.
Dr. Benns received his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering in 1996 from the University of Utah. He then received his Ph.D. in pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry in 2001 from the University of Utah, and then he received his J.D. from S. J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah in 2004. Now, he leverages those experiences to provide technology-based intellectual property law counsel to his clients. During his legal career, Jonathan has had the opportunity to broaden his technological background to work on a number of complex inventions from areas ranging from chemistry, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to nutraceuticals, biocompatible medical devices, complex materials, laser semiconductors, analytical and diagnostic equipment, distance measurement and imaging systems, and artificial intelligence systems for complex chemical structure generation.
Kelli is Maschoff Brennan's docketing manager and senior paralegal. She specializes in intellectual property and is highly skilled and experienced in the areas of patent prosecution both in the U.S. and internationally. She handles the firm's major clients.
Kelli is an avid cyclist, aspiring cross-country skier and could not be happier to work and play in Park City, surrounded by the great outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Mr. Harris has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Litigation - Intellectual Property and Litigation - Patent every year since 2019. He has also been recognized as a Mountain States Super Lawyer every year since 2013 and he has been named one of Utah Business Magazine's Legal Elite.
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Associate
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Burns is a former equity shareholder and former Board of Directors member at a major IP law firm in Salt Lake City. He's also a former adjunct professor at the S. J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah and a former adjunct faculty member at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. He has lectured at professional conferences and organizations, including the Licensing Executives Society and the American Intellectual Property Law Association.
Burns is the proud father of four, a big college basketball fan, and a meteorology hobbyist. He once measured an air temperature of -64 degrees in the Utah mountains, a state record.
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing v. EchoStar Communications Corp. (Northern District of California). Represented DISH Network/EchoStar and Express Scripts, Inc. in patent litigation with Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing involving interactive voice response system technology.
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Partner
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney
Job Titles:
- Registered Patent Attorney Associate