(Main Office)

Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery was founded in 1859 as Goodwin, Larned & Goodwin making it the senior established law firm in Chicago. Its practice is devoted to intellectual property and technology related law.

Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery practice areas include client counseling, licensing and litigation (of all forms of intellectual property rights), patent prosecution, protection and enforcement of patent rights, patent validity and infringement opinions, unfair competition and trade secrets, media rights clearance, E-commerce, internet domain names, prosecution and maintenance of trademarks and copyrights, trademark registrability and infringement opinions. We advise and assist clients in the negotiation of all manner of agreements involving or related to the transfer of intellectual property, e.g., acquisitions/divestitures, assignments, research and development agreements, licenses, confidential disclosure agreements, consulting and employment agreements.

The firm's clients range from independent inventors to multi-national corporations. The firm regularly represents its clients in courts and governmental agencies in the U.S. as well as some 140 other countries.

Firm members have been leaders in their respective fields of technology as well as in the legal community, having served as expert witnesses, special masters in the Federal Courts, educators, authors and also founders and presidents of noteworthy legal associations including the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago and its predecessor.

Statement of Practice

Intellectual Property and Technology-Related Law including United States and International Patents, Trademarks, Trade Secret, Copyrights, Unfair Competition, Advertising, Trade Secret, Media Rights Clearance, E-Commerce, Internet Domain Names, Antitrust and International Trade Commission Causes and Related Litigation.

Address

120 South La Salle Street, Suite 1600
Chicago, IL 60603, (Cook Co.)

Phone

Phone: 312-577-7000
Fax: 312-577-7007

Website

http://www.fitcheven.com

Firm/Affiliate Offices

MEMBERS OF FIRM

Timothy E. Levstik (Member) born Cleveland, Ohio, July 30, 1945; admitted to bar, 1970, Ohio; 1980, Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Case Institute of Technology (B.S., Chem., 1967); University of Minnesota (J.D., 1970). Member: American Bar Association; Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Law; Technology and Science; Chemicals; Inorganic Chemistry; Coatings Technology; Chemical Patent Practice; Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights; Trade Secrets Law; Litigation; Technical Litigation; Appellate Practice.Email: Timothy E. Levstik

Allen E. Hoover (Member) born Chicago, Illinois, 1968; admitted to bar, 1993, Illinois; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Illinois (B.S., Chemistry, 1990; B.S.Ch.E., 1990; J.D., magna cum laude, 1993). Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Litigation; Intellectual Property Prosecution.

Joseph E. Shipley (Member) born Chicago Heights, Illinois, May 25, 1956; admitted to bar, 1982, Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Northwestern University (B.S.M.E., 1979); University of Illinois (J.D., 1982). Editor, Chicago Lawyer's Court Handbook, 1992. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Law; Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights; Litigation; Technology and Science Law; Counseling.Email: Joseph E. Shipley

Joseph T. Nabor (Member) born Japan, April 26, 1957; admitted to bar, 1989, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: Northeastern Illinois University (B.A., 1984); Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., 1989). Member: Chicago, Illinois State (Member, Intellectual Property Section Council) and American Bar Associations; Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago. Special Agencies: Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Practice Areas: Trademarks; Copyrights; Trade Dress; Unfair Competition; International Trademarks; Trademark Licensing; Litigation.Email: Joseph T. Nabor

Richard A. Kaba (Member) born Charlotte, North Carolina, May 14, 1947; admitted to bar, 1989, Michigan; 1990, District of Columbia; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. (Not admitted in Illinois). Education: Clemson University (B.S., Chem., 1969) Phi Kappa Phi; Duke University (Ph.D., Phys.Chem., 1974) Phi Beta Kappa; University of Michigan (J.D., with honors, 1988). Order of the Coif. Executive Article Editor, Michigan Law Review, 1987-1988. Member: State Bar of Michigan; The District of Columbia Bar. Practice Areas: Biochemical Technology; Biomedical Technology; Biotechnology Licensing; Genetics; Immunology; Intellectual Property; Patents; Technology and Science; Chemicals; Medical Technology; Biotechnology.Email: Richard A. Kaba

Karl R. Fink (Member) born Hartford, Connecticut, July 24, 1956; admitted to bar, 1981, Illinois; 1982, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois including Trial Bar; 1989, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; 1994, U.S. Supreme Court; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Michigan (B.S.E., magna cum laude, 1978; J.D., 1981). Tau Beta Pi. Member: Chicago (Member, Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law Section), Illinois State (Member, Sections on: Trial Practice; Intellectual Property Law) and American Bar Associations; Chicago Lincoln American Inn of Court (Secretary, 1994-1995; Programming Chairman, 1995-1998; President, 1998-2000). Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Trial Practice; Intellectual Property Litigation; Patent Litigation; Trademark Litigation; Copyrights; Theft of Trade Secrets.Email: Karl R. Fink

Mark W. Hetzler (Member) born Bismarck, North Dakota, December 6, 1966; admitted to bar, 1993, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 1998, Trial Bar; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Northwestern University (B.S.M.E., with distinction, 1989); Loyola University of Chicago (J.D., 1993). Tau Beta Pi (Northwestern Chapter); Phi Eta Sigma; Alpha Lambda Delta; Phi Alpha Delta. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Law; Litigation; Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights; Licensing Law; Trade Secrets Law; Unfair Competition; Contract Law; Employment Agreements; Mechanical; Electromechanical.Email: Mark W. Hetzler

Timothy P. Maloney (Member) born Evergreen Park, Illinois, May 12, 1966; admitted to bar, 1993, Illinois, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal and Ninth Circuits; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Illinois (B.S.Ch.E., summa cum laude, 1988; J.D., summa cum laude, 1993). Alpha Chi Sigma; Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Alpha Delta; Order of the Coif; Bronze Tablet Scholar; National Moot Court. Editor, University of Illinois Law Review. Author: "The Enforcement of Patent Rights in the United States," 31 IIC 723, June 2000. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago; American Institute of Chemical Engineers; Licensing Executive Society; International Association for the Protection of Industrial Property. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Appellate Practice; Litigation; Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights; Trade Secrets; Technology and Science; Antitrust and Trade Regulation; Licensing; Business Law.Email: Timothy P. Maloney

James P. Krueger (Member) born Blue Island, Illinois, August 11, 1958; admitted to bar, 1993, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Trinity Christian College (B.A., Bio., 1980); Illinois Institute of Technology (M.S., 1984; Ph.D., Microbio. and Biochem., 1989); Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., 1993). Member: Chicago Bar Association; Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago; American Society for Microbiology; Society for Industrial Microbiology. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Law; Chemical Intellectual Property; Inorganic Chemistry; Organic Chemistry; Medical Technology; Biotechnology; Polymens; Biomedical; Enzymology; Genetics; Immunology; Microbiology; Patents.Email: James P. Krueger

Stephen S. Favakeh (Member) born Chicago, Illinois, April 6, 1964; admitted to bar, 1991, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Tulsa (B.S., 1985); University of Illinois (J.D., 1991). Member: American Bar Association; Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago; Federal Circuit Bar Association. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Electromechanical; Mechanical; Infringement; Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights; Licensing.Email: Stephen S. Favakeh

Steven G. Parmelee (Member) born San Francisco, California, April 24, 1953; admitted to bar, 1978, Minnesota; 1981, Nebraska; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. (Not admitted in Illinois). Education: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (B.S.E.E., 1975); Creighton University (J.D., magna cum laude, 1978). Adjunct Professor, Intellectual Property Law, Creighton University, 1984. (Resident at Omaha, Nebraska Office). Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Electrical Intellectual Property; Intellectual Property Protection; Intellectual Property Rights; Computer and Software Patents; Design Patents; Electrical Patents; Electronic Patents; Mechanical Patents; Electro-Mechanical Patents.

Edward E. Clair (Member) born Chicago, Illinois, December 23, 1972; admitted to bar, 1999, Illinois. Education: Marquette University (B.S.E.E., 1996); IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., 1999). Phi Alpha Delta. Recipient, CALI Awards for Legal Drafting and Intellectual Property for Corp. Transactions. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; The Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; American Intellectual Property Law Association. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Patent Prosecution; Electrical Patents; Electronic Patents; Computer and Software Patents; Computer Software; Electro-Mechanical Patents; Mechanical Patents; Patent Licensing; Patent Litigation; Trademarks; Copyrights; Trade Dress; Trade Secret.Email: Edward E. Clair

Rudy I. Kratz (Member) born Park Ridge, Illinois, December 7, 1967; admitted to bar, 1993, Illinois; 1999, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Illinois (B.S., Engineering Physics, 1990; B.A., Psychology, 1990; J.D., summa cum laude, 1993). Harno Scholar. Rickert Award for Academic Excellence. Member, University of Illinois Law Review. Co-Author: "Recent Decisions - Punitive Damages" in March, 2000 ISBA Trial Briefs. Contributed to "Sanctions under Rule 11," ALI-ABA, March, 2000. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Litigation; Intellectual Property Prosecution.Email: Rudy I. Kratz

John E. Lyhus (Member) born Janesville, Illinois, October 18, 1957; admitted to bar, 1984, New York; 1989, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York; 1995, Illinois. Education: University of Wisconsin at Madison (B.B.A., 1980); New York Law School (J.D., 1983). Member: Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations, 1993-1997. Practice Areas: Trademark; Copyright.Email: John E. Lyhus

Jon A. Birmingham (Member) born Alton, Illinois, June 4, 1975; admitted to bar, 2000, Illinois. Education: Northwestern University (B.S., 1997); University of Illinois (J.D., cum laude, 2000).Email: Jon A. Birmingham

Mark A. Borsos (Member) born Kalamazoo, Michigan, March 7, 1977; admitted to bar, 2002, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Michigan (B.S., with distinction, Biology, 1999; J.D., 2002). Recipient: Sophomore Honors Award; James B. Angell Scholar, University of Michigan. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Litigation.

Timothy R. Baumann (Member) born Iowa Falls, Iowa, August 16, 1963; admitted to bar, 1995, Illinois; 1996, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Iowa State University (B.S.E.E., 1986; B.S.C.S., 1986); University of Illinois (J.D., magna cum laude, 1995). Eta Kappa Nu. Notes Editor, Elder Law Journal, 1994-1995. Practice Areas: Patent Litigation; Patent Prosecution; Electrical Engineering.

OF COUNSEL

John F. Flannery (Of Counsel) born Chicago, Illinois, October 15, 1928; admitted to bar, 1959, Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Illinois (B.S.E.E., cum laude, 1950); Graduate study in E.E., Northwestern University, 1953-1954; Loyola University (J.D., 1959). Phi Alpha Delta; Eta Kappa Nu. Trustee, Village of Lincolnwood, 1978-1983. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago. Fellow: American College of Trial Lawyers. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Law; Appellate Practice; Litigation; Technical Litigation; Licensing Law; Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights; Trade Secrets Law; Contract Law; Computer; Antitrust Law; Technologies and Science; Electronics; Electromechanical.Email: John F. Flannery

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Jeffrey A. Chelstrom (Associate) born St. Paul, Minnesota, 1969; admitted to bar, 2003, Illinois. Education: Iowa State University (B.S., Chemical Engineering, with honors, 1991); William Mitchell College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2003). Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Patents; Litigation.Email: Jeffrey A. Chelstrom

Nicholas T. Peters (Associate) born Chicago Heights, Illinois, 1976; admitted to bar, 2003, Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Vanderbilt University (B.S., Mathematics and Engineering Science with a concentration in Applied Physics, magna cum laude, 1998; M.S., Physics, 2000); Loyola University (J.D., cum laude, 2003). Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Litigation.Email: Nicholas T. Peters

Christine Abuel Pompa (Associate) born Detroit, Michigan, January 13, 1979; admitted to bar, 2004, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.. Education: Wayne State University (B.A., Biology; Minor in Chemistry, 2001); DePaul University College of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2004). Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Litigation.

Sarah M. Walkington (Associate) born Winfield, Illinois, March 26, 1976; admitted to bar, 2002, Illinois. Education: University of Iowa (B.S., Microbiology, 1998); John Marshall Law School (J.D., magna cum laude, 2002). Order of John Marshall; Dean's Scholar; Herzog Scholar. Editor and Co-Founder, The John Marshall Review of Intellectual Property Law.

Joel H. Bootzin (Associate) born 1967; admitted to bar, 1996, Illinois; 1997, Wisconsin; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Milwaukee School of Engineering (B.S., 1989); Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology (J.D., 1996). Member: Chicago and American Bar Associations; American Intellectual Property Law Association; Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago.

Amanda L. Lowerre (Associate) born St. Louis, Missouri, 1978; admitted to bar, 2005, Illinois and Wisconsin; 2006, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: 2002-Saint Louis University in B.S. Mechanical Engineering Cum Laude 2005 University of Wisconsin at Madison, Juris Doctor Cum Laude. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Litigation; Patent Prosecution; Business Law.

Calista J. Mitchell (Associate) born Iowa City, Iowa, 1978; admitted to bar, 2005, Illinois; 2006, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: University of Iowa (B.S., Microbiology, 2000) Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., with honors, 2005). Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Litigation; Chemical Patent Prosecution; Biotechnology Patent Prosecution; Mechanical Patent Prosecution.

Nada J. Ardeleanu (Associate) born St. Paul, Minnesota, November 25, 1974; admitted to bar, 2006, Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 2003. Education: University of Minnesota (B.S., Chemical Engineering, minor in Chemistry, 1996); Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., 2005). Languages: Serbian and Romanian. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Patent Prosecution; Chemical Intellectual Property; Mechanical Intellectual Property; Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Intellectual Property.

Paul B. Henkelmann (Associate) born Green Bay, Wisconsin, 1980; admitted to bar, 2007, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., 2007). Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; AIPLA. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Prosecution; Mechanical Intellectual Property.

Ted S. Li (Associate) born 1978; admitted to bar, 2003, Illinois. Education: State University of New York at Binghamton (B.A., 2000); University of Chicago (J.D., 2003). Member: Chicago Bar Association. Languages: Mandarin. Practice Areas: Litigation; Trademarks.

Brian R. Michalek (Associate) born Buffalo, New York, 1982; admitted to bar, 2007, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: University of Notre Dame (Electrical Engineering, 2004); University of San Diego School of Law (J.D., 2007). Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Electrical Intellectual Property; Intellectual Property Litigation.

Shane M. Delsman (Associate) born Manitowoc, Wisconsin, 1980; admitted to bar, 2007, Wisconsin, Illinois, U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: University of Wisconsin-Madison (Civil Engineering, 2003); University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School (J.D., 2007). Member: American Bar Association; Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Intellectual Property Prosecution; Intellectual Property Litigation.

Chadwick A. Sullivan (Associate) born LaCrosse, Wisconsin, 1978; admitted to bar, 2007, Wisconsin, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin. Education: Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Chemical Engineering, 2001); University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School (J.D., 2007). Member: American Bar Association; Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Chemical Intellectual Property; Intellectual Property Litigation.

Joseph F. Marinelli (Associate) born Milwaukee, Wisconsin, December 15, 1972; admitted to bar, 1999, Wisconsin and Illinois; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois and Western District of Wisconsin; U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit. Education: Purdue University (B.S.M.E., 1996); University of Wisconsin (J.D., 1999). Practice Areas: Antitrust and Trade Regulation; Products Liability and Mass Tort Defense; Intellectual Property Litigation.Email: Joseph F. Marinelli

Alisa C. Simmons (Associate) born St. Louis, Missouri; admitted to bar, 1999, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: Indiana University (B.A., Bio., 1996); Northwestern University (J.D., 1999). Practice Areas: Trademarks; Trade Dress; Trademark Infringement; Trademark Licensing; Trademark Prosecution; International Trademarks.

Eric D. Misfeldt (Associate) born Geneseo, Ilinois, 1976; admitted to bar, 2008, Illinois and Wisconsin; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Augustana College (B.A., Biology, magna cum laude, 1998); University of Loyola, Chicago (Graduate Coursework); University of Wisconsin-Madison (J.D., 2007). Practice Areas: Intellectual Property.

Mark R. Willis (Associate) born Lake Zurich, Illinois, 1980; admitted to bar, 2006, Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Illinois (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 2003); Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology (J.D., with high honors, 2006). Practice Areas: Mechanical Intellectual Property; Intellectual Property.

Conor Hunt (Associate) born Downers Grove, Illinois, 1983; admitted to bar, 2008, Illinois. Education: University of Illinois (General Engineering, 2005); University of Illinois College of Law (J.D., 2008). Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Litigation; Intellectual Property; Intellectual Property Prosecution.

Nicole Little (Associate) born Midland, Michigan, 1983; admitted to bar, 2008, Illinois. Education: University of Michigan (Chemical Engineering, cum laude, 2005); Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., 2008). Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Intellectual Property Litigation; Intellectual Property Prosecution.

Selena Michalowicz (Associate) born Chicago, Illinois, 1979; admitted to bar, 2008, Illinois. Education: University of Illinois (B.A., Political Science, 2001); John Marshall Law School (J.D., 2008).

Jonathan Urbanek (Associate) born Lansing, Michigan, 1983; admitted to bar, 2008, Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Michigan (Mechanical Engineering, cum laude, 2005); DePaul University College of Law (J.D., 2008). Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Intellectual Property Litigation; Intellectual Property Prosecution.Email: Jonathan Urbanek

Nicholas Angelocci (Associate) born Muskegon, Michigan; admitted to bar, 2008, Illinois. Education: University of Michigan (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, magna cum laude, 2001); DePaul University College of Law (J.D., 2008).

PATENT AGENT

Lilia I. Safonov born Kishinev, Moldova, USSR, May 31, 1953; Education: Moscow Institute of Electronics, Moscow, Russia (M.S.E.E., 1977); Central Institute of Patent Studies, Moscow, Russia (Patent Attorney, 1983). Languages: Russian. Practice Areas: Patent Prosecution; Electrical Intellectual Property Prosecution; Electronic Intellectual Property Prosecution; Mechanical Intellectual Property Prosecution.Email: Lilia I. Safonov