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Duane Morris Welcomes Three IP Partners to Chicago Office
February 13, 2008
CHICAGO, February 13, 2008 - Duane Morris LLP is pleased to announce that three intellectual property trial attorneys have joined its Chicago office. Richard Ruzich and John Maher, both formerly of Epstein Becker & Green, P.C., and Robert M. Gould, Ph.D., formerly of Bell, Boyd & Lloyd LLP, focus their practices on a wide range of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret matters.
The three-partner team joins the firm's Intellectual Property Practice Group at a time of rapid expansion. The IP practice, consisting of more than 80 lawyers, has grown by 15 since September 2007.
Robert Gould, Ph.D., focuses his practice primarily on patent litigation, licensing, prosecution and due diligence. He counsels clients on general intellectual property matters. A registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Gould has extensive technical knowledge and experience in the legal issues currently affecting the patent portfolios of biotechnology, chemical, food science, healthcare and pharmaceutical companies. In particular, he has handled matters in the areas of stem cell technology, diagnostics and generic pharmaceuticals.
Gould has also worked in an in-house capacity at several biotechnology companies. He formerly served as a vice president of intellectual property at biotechnology research firm Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc., where he was responsible for the company's patent and trademark prosecution and licensing agreements. Prior to practicing law, Gould oversaw quality control and was a research scientist at Houston Biotechnology Inc. He is a member of the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago and the American Intellectual Property Law Association.
Gould received his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1996 and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Iowa in 1988. He graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1981.
John Maher emphasizes IP litigation, also handling complex commercial litigation, including government contracts and white-collar criminal defense. Maher has more than a decade of experience in representing clients in commercial and criminal matters before trial and appellate courts in the U.S. and abroad. He has served as IP counsel in numerous disputes in federal courts throughout the United States, including presenting oral argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and has been involved in licensing and transactional matters related to companies in the electronics, engineering, pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. Related to his broader litigation practice, Maher has counseled defense contractors, software companies, telecommunications firms and other high-tech companies in securities fraud class actions, breach of contract claims, and government contract and procurement claims.
Maher was a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., where he worked on government contract, international trade and federal labor and employment law, as well as defended executive agencies of the United States in court. Prior to that, he served as an attorney for the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, where he first-chaired in federal and military appellate court matters. A member of the Committee on Attorney Registration and Discipline and the Committee on Military Affairs for the Illinois State Bar Association, Maher is an assistant professor of aviation law in the U.S. and Europe for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and is an adjunct professor of law for The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. In addition, he serves as a major in the U.S. Army Reserve and holds a government security clearance.
Maher received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the Northern Illinois University College of Law in 1996. He earned his B.S. from Bradley University, magna cum laude, in 1992. He is currently seeking his LL.M. in Health Law from DePaul University and expects to complete this degree this year.
Richard Ruzich is an experienced litigator with a broad intellectual property practice. A registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Ruzich was head of the patent law practice at his former firm. He has counseled clients in the high-tech and pharmaceutical industries in patent, ANDA, trademark, copyright and trade secret litigation matters, and has handled numerous patent, trademark and copyright applications at all stages of the process. Ruzich has advised clients on intellectual property asset management and protection and is skilled in negotiating and drafting IP agreements such as licensing, joint development and government R&D agreements. As a trial attorney, he has worked on appellate cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and has assisted on appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court. Before entering private practice, Ruzich was a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, where he worked primarily in the defense of government and military agencies in patent infringement cases. He is also a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, where he serves as an intelligence officer in a counterintelligence and counterterrorism branch. He holds a top-secret/SCI security clearance.
Ruzich received his LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law, with honors, from The John Marshall Law School in 2002 and earned his J.D., cum laude, from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 1996. He graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology from Bradley University in 1991. He is pursuing an M.S. in Computer Engineering at DePaul University and is well-versed in several computer languages.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP, one of the 100 largest law firms in the world, is a full-service firm of more than 650 lawyers, including more than 80 attorneys practicing in all aspects of patent, trademark and copyright law. In addition to legal services, Duane Morris has independent affiliates employing approximately 100 professionals engaged in other disciplines. With offices in major markets in the United States and internationally, Duane Morris represents clients across the U.S. and around the world.
