McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP Adds Team of Six Attorneys to Bolster Its Thriving Litigation Practice

Attorneys are part of MBHB’s new Transactions & High-Tech Litigation Strategy Practice Group

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP (MBHB), a leading intellectual property law firm, announced today the addition of a highly-regarded team of six attorneys. The Austin, Texas based team, led by Jeffrey Toler, primarily represents Fortune 500 companies and institutionally funded private companies in IP strategy and patent monetization. They will join MBHB’s new Transactions & High-Tech Litigation Strategy Practice Group.

Led by Jeffrey Toler, the team’s substantial experience in IP litigation, and their presence in Austin’s rising technology innovation hub, makes them a key addition to MBHB’s already thriving litigation practice. The new Transactions & High-Tech Litigation Strategy Practice Group will represent clients in IP litigation before the federal courts, the International Trade Commission, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in private mediation.

“I am excited to welcome this talented team to MBHB, which will expand our well-established IP expertise and litigation capabilities,” said Grantland Drutchas, Managing Partner of McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP. “With deep roots in Austin, the team also gives us access to the exciting high-tech ecosystem expanding among this area’s successful start-ups, existing technology parks and its leading research university.”

MBHB’s litigation practice offers a wide range of litigation services and technical knowledge. The attorneys represent clients from small start-ups to Fortune 100 companies in all types of intellectual property litigation, both in plaintiff and defense positions. MBHB attorneys are experienced with litigating disputes over patent, trademark and copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation and unfair competition.

“I look forward to working closely with Grant and the MBHB litigation team to develop and implement high-value patent strategies for clients,” said Jeffrey Toler, Chair of MBHB’s new Transactions & High-Tech Litigation Strategy Practice Group. “As innovation in artificial intelligence, telecommunications and other leading high-tech technologies continues to evolve, our team will bring sophistication and creativity to the challenges of IP protection and litigation strategies.”

The team of new attorneys includes:

• Jeffrey Toler –Mr. Toler is a registered patent attorney with over 25 years of experience in technology and related intellectual property matters representing corporate clients including many Fortune 500 companies and institutionally funded private companies. His expertise covers a wide range of intellectual property areas including patent acquisition and monetization, patent brokering, patent preparation, prosecution, and portfolio development, IPRs, opinions, and IP related financing and other transactions.
• James E. Gauger – Mr. Gauger has extensive experience in all aspects of intellectual property (IP) law, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, unfair competition, and trade secrets. His practice focuses on patent preparation and prosecution, patent litigation, IP transactions, strategic counseling, due diligence investigations, post-grant proceedings, and licensing.
• Benjamin Johnson– Mr. Johnson focuses on preparation, prosecution, and litigation of patents in a variety of technology fields. He has been both an engineer and a project manager before becoming an attorney.
• Kenton R. Mullins – Mr. Mullins has two decades of patent-related strategic counselling, prosecution, litigation, post-issuance administrative proceedings, trade-secret, licensing, opinion writing, portfolio analysis, and due-diligence experience.
• Melissa Vanessah Pace – Mrs. Pace offers the firm’s clients a strong technical background, as well as more than 15 years’ experience in intellectual property protection including intellectual property litigation, licensing, patent preparation and prosecution, and trademark registration.
• Christopher Scurry – Mr. Scurry primarily focuses his practice on patent prosecution, patent preparation, litigation, and high-tech litigation strategy. Mr. Scurry has drafted hundreds of patent applications for a wide array of technologies, including computer hardware, computer software, microelectronic circuits, memory systems, wireless communication systems, virtual reality devices, signal processing, hydraulic systems, and user interfaces.

For more information about MBHB’s new Transactions & High-Tech Litigation Strategy Practice Group, visit https://www.mbhb.com/services/transactions-high-tech-litigation-strategy.

About McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

With offices in Illinois, California and North Carolina, MBHB provides a variety of intellectual property services, including litigation, prosecution and general client counseling. With a balanced focus on prosecution and litigation, MBHB attorneys are experienced in the procurement, licensing, enforcement, and defense of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and unfair competition actions in a number of technological disciplines and product categories including biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, cannabis, chemical, electrical, mechanical and materials, medical device and diagnostics, software and business methods, and telecommunications. www.mbhb.com

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