Calfee’s Intellectual Property Practice Adds Four Attorneys From Respected IP Law Firm That Specializes in Representing High Tech Companies

CLEVELAND, January 21, 2022 - Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP is pleased to announce that Intellectual Property Partners Michael J. Medley and Todd E. Behrens, Senior Attorney Philip G. Ammar, and Associate Attorney Thomas R. Irwin have joined Calfee’s Intellectual Property practice group.

Medley, Behrens, Ammar and Irwin joined Calfee from the law firm of Medley, Behrens & Lewis, LLC, which focused on intellectual property law and represented large Global 500 corporations, midsized Fortune 1000 corporations and small private companies. Joining the four attorneys will be Intellectual Property Legal Administrative Assistant Nichole Kuklisin, who previously served as Office Manager and Paralegal at the Medley, Behrens & Lewis firm. 

These four attorneys bring notable experience with high-profile clients and intellectual property matters that will add to the depth of expertise within Calfee’s Intellectual Property group, which already boasts one of the largest Intellectual Property and Information Technology practices in the Midwest.

“Mike Medley, Todd Behrens and the team they bring are excellent people of the highest caliber. They are among the most respected high technology, software and electronics patent attorneys in the country with clients located across the entire United States and around the world,” said John S. Cipolla, Vice Chairman of the firm and Co-Chair of Calfee’s Intellectual Property practice group.

“Mike and Todd have built an extraordinary team and are well known in the high-tech world for the level of service they provide to their clients. Their practice fits well with our group’s footprint and adds to our deep bench of attorneys with electrical and computer engineering backgrounds, positioning Calfee as a leader in its ability to handle IP issues in these fields moving forward,” said Mark W. McDougall, Partner and Co-Chair of Calfee’s Intellectual Property practice group.

As a registered patent attorney, Medley has drafted and prosecuted hundreds of patent applications. He works with clients and their in-house legal teams to ensure an understanding in the dynamic areas of patent law, including subject matter eligibility. In addition, Medley assists clients in developing and managing their patent portfolios across different jurisdictions, including drafting and negotiating software licenses, asserting patent rights and drafting non-infringement and freedom to operate opinions. Medley also responds to allegations of patent infringement, counsels in product design to help clients avoid infringing patents held by others, and advises clients on national and international data privacy laws.

“We are proud and excited to join Calfee’s IP group, which has an impeccable reputation throughout the country. Our clients will continue to benefit from our knowledge and experience with respect to their businesses and technologies, while further benefiting from Calfee’s deep talent pool,” said Medley.

Behrens’ technical background enables him to counsel clients on various intellectual property matters, including providing advice on patentability, non-infringement and designing around others’ intellectual property. He is well-versed in patent procurement and strategic patent portfolio development in the electrical, mechanical, software, biomedical and business method technology fields. Behrens has conducted due diligence in preparation of various intellectual property transactions and rendered invalidity, non-infringement, patentability and freedom to operate opinions. He also has counseled clients with respect to trademark selection and prepared and prosecuted trademark applications.

“Calfee provides a platform for us to continue to serve our clients in the best ways possible, while also meeting any additional needs of our clients that may arise in the future. Calfee’s team includes people with a wide breadth of experience, which will be an invaluable resource for our clients,” said Behrens.

Ammar is an experienced patent attorney. He has prosecuted cases before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and has provided guidance to foreign counsel in responding to office actions before the Chinese Patent Office, Japanese Patent Office and European Patent Office. He routinely drafts patent applications in a range of fields such as quantum computing, autonomous navigation, industrial material handling, radar processing and telescopic control algorithms.

Irwin is a registered patent attorney with a background in electrical engineering. He has drafted and prosecuted patent applications relating to a variety of technologies including optical devices, integrated electro-optical systems, radar and lidar systems, autonomous vehicles, signal and image processing, electrochemical devices, control systems, rocket guidance, cryptology and quantum optical communications, healthcare software, mechanical systems and others. Irwin has experience in prosecuting trademark applications, coordinating national and international patent filings for the firm’s clients, and pursuing intellectual property protection in the United States for clients based overseas.

About Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP’s Intellectual Property Group

Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP has one of the largest Intellectual Property and Information Technology practices in the Midwest. The attorneys in Calfee’s IP group have broad experience and a deep bench in prosecution, litigation, opinions, IP business strategy and counseling. Of the 42 skilled attorneys in Calfee's Intellectual Property practice, 35 attorneys are registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Calfee has more than 21,000 patents and trademarks on its docket, 14,000 of which are international. For well over a decade, Calfee’s Intellectual Property group has been ranked and recognized by Chambers USA. In 2021, Chambers USA researchers noted that “[the team is] esteemed for its handling of IP litigation and portfolio management on behalf of large clients in Ohio and the Midwest and across the USA. [They are] highly experienced in the engineering, chemical and biological sectors, with notable abilities in handling matters for consumer products and manufacturing clients.”

About Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP

Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP is a full-service corporate law firm with 160 attorneys and professionals and six offices in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, New York, and Washington, D.C. Calfee serves clients in the Midwest, nationally and globally in the areas of Business Restructuring and Insolvency, Corporate and Finance, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation, Energy and Utilities, Estate and Succession Planning and Administration, Government Relations and Legislation, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Litigation, and Real Estate Law. Calfee has been recognized as a leading law firm by the Chambers USA 2021 Legal Guide in Antitrust, Banking & Finance, Corporate/M&A, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, General Commercial Litigation, Insurance, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment, Natural Resources & Environment, and Real Estate Law and by Chambers 2021 High Net Worth Guide in Private Wealth Law. A founding member of Lex Mundi, Calfee offers international representation through a network of independent law firms with access to 22,000 attorneys located in more than 125 countries. Additional information is available at Calfee.com.