The law firm Adams and Reese LLP is enhancing its intellectual property team with the addition of Michael Bednarek to its Washington D.C. office. Bednarek joins as partner and is a member of the firm’s well-established global Intellectual Property (IP) practice. Prior to joining Adams and Reese, Bednarek was a partner at several other firms, including Shearman & Sterling, Axinn and Locke Lord LLP.
Michael Bednarek has spent more than 35 years steeped in intellectual property law. He is an established thought leader on the design and implementation of worldwide IP strategies, and has extensive experience in cross-border patent, industrial design, cybersecurity and trade secret issues. He works with companies in the U.S., Asia and Europe in the information technology, application-specific integrated circuits, optoelectronics, consumer goods and electronics, medical devices, toys and gaming, manufacturing, automotive and financial services industries.
“Mike is an excellent patent litigator,” said Gif Thornton, managing partner of Adams and Reese. “Moreover, he is widely recognized as one the leading IP strategists in the world. We are delighted to have him at Adams and Reese.”
Bednarek began his career in the early 1980s as patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, examining some of the first software patents granted by the agency. He leveraged this experience as an early proponent of patent protection in non-traditional fields, including financial services, retail, transportation and hospitality.
Bednarek is consistently recognized by services that identify the top IP professionals in the world. He is considered a Leader in the Field by Chambers Global, and Legal 500 ranked him as one of its Leading IP Lawyers in the U.S., calling him “a leading expert on finance-related patents.” He has been recognized on multiple occasions as an accomplished IP lawyer and strategist by IAM Magazine, Asia Guide, Euromoney, Legal Media and Asian Legal Business. He has also achieved Super Lawyers® status in the District of Columbia and Virginia, and was named Legal Elite by Virginia Business Magazine.
An IP Practice with Global Distinction
Bednarek’s experience further strengthens the firm’s global IP law and litigation practice. The firm’s IP attorneys practice in the forefront of trademark, patent and copyright issues in e-commerce, entertainment, publishing and technology. The team delivers leading-edge guidance and business solutions on anti-counterfeiting, privacy and data protection, digital business, domains, franchising, distribution, tax-efficient IP structures, and litigation and dispute resolution.
Bednarek’s base in Washington, D.C. provides enhanced capabilities before key Federal agencies, including the U.S. International Trade Commission, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
“Bringing Mike into our D.C. office continues the upward trajectory of our global IP team,” said Mitch Boult, intellectual property attorney who leads Adams and Reese’s strategic growth initiative. “His formidable skills and contacts are a powerful value-add for our multinational clients.”
Since 2013, the Adams and Reese IP team has received a “Highly Recommended” designation, the highest distinction for law firms, in IP Stars, Managing Intellectual Property’s globally recognized resource of leading IP firms and attorneys.
Source: www.adamsandreese.com
