Banner & Witcoff, Ltd., a national intellectual property law firm that is dedicated to the procurement, enforcement and litigation of intellectual property rights throughout the world, announces the election of seven shareholders and the arrival of four new attorneys.
John M. Fleming, Elected, Principal Shareholder, Washington, D.C., joined the firm in 2001 as a summer associate. Mr. Fleming concentrates on prosecution in a variety of technical fields, litigation matters, client counseling, and a wide array of opinion work. Prior to joining Banner & Witcoff, Mr. Fleming was an electrical engineer for Schlumberger Industries, RMS. Mr. Fleming earned his Juris Doctor from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, and his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Clemson University.
Katie L. Becker, Elected, Shareholder, Chicago, joined the firm in 2007. Ms. Becker’s practice focuses on patent litigation, prosecution, counseling, and intellectual property-related transactional work. Prior to joining Banner & Witcoff, Ms. Becker was a law clerk at PepsiCo, Inc. Ms. Becker was awarded her Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law, and a Bachelor of Science in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Brian J. Brisnehan, Elected, Shareholder, Washington, D.C., joined the firm in 2005 as a summer associate. Mr. Brisnehan concentrates his practice on prosecution, litigation and counseling in patent matters, in the electrical and computer areas. Prior to joining Banner & Witcoff, Mr. Brisnehan was a software engineer at Microsoft Corporation. Mr. Brisnehan received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the George Mason University School of Law, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Colorado.
Katherine L. Fink, Elected, Shareholder, Chicago, joined the firm in 2007. Ms. Fink focuses her practice on intellectual property litigation, including utility patent, design patent, trademark, trade dress, copyright, and trade secret matters. Ms. Fink earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law, and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Banner & Witcoff, Ms. Fink worked as a program analyst for Lockheed Martin Information Technology and served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Amy J. St. Eve of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Matthew J. Kohner, Elected, Shareholder, Washington, D.C., joined the firm in 2007. Mr. Kohner concentrates on patent prosecution, counseling and litigation matters primarily in the mechanical arts. Prior to joining Banner & Witcoff, Mr. Kohner was a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Kohner earned his Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School, and his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from George Washington University.
Timothy J. Rechtien, Elected, Shareholder, Chicago, joined the firm in 2007. Mr. Rechtien’s practice focuses on patent litigation. Mr. Rechtien was selected as an Illinois Rising Star in 2012 and 2011. Before joining Banner & Witcoff, Mr. Rechtien worked as a fossil power technologies engineer for Sargent & Lundy, LLC. Mr. Rechtien earned his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from John Marshall Law School, and a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University. At John Marshall, Mr. Rechtien obtained invaluable experience as a judicial extern for the Honorable Robert W. Gettleman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Bradley J. Van Pelt, Elected, Shareholder, Chicago, joined the firm in 2007. Mr. Van Pelt concentrates on prosecution, counseling, licensing, and litigation in all areas of intellectual property. Mr. Van Pelt has extensive experience in the mechanical area and has also worked in the electrical and business method arts. Prior to joining Banner & Witcoff, Mr. Van Pelt worked as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and as a design engineer for Sub-Zero Freezer Company. Mr. Van Pelt also served in the chambers of the Honorable Richard Linn of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mr. Van Pelt earned his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Additionally, Banner & Witcoff welcomes the following attorneys:
- Eric J. Hamp, Associate (Chicago); patent and trademark litigation, patent prosecution, opinion and counseling matters; M.S. in Chemistry, University of Chicago; J.D., cum laude, Northwestern University. Prior to joining Banner & Witcoff, Mr. Hamp worked in the chemical industry at Ecolab and Stepan Company.
- Anna L. King, Of Counsel (Chicago); trademark and copyright prosecution, counseling matters; J.D. Indiana University.
- Craig W. Kronenthal, Associate (Washington, D.C.); patent prosecution and litigation, counseling and opinions; J.D., cum laude, University of Miami School of Law. Prior to joining Banner & Witcoff, Mr. Kronenthal worked as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
- Victoria R.M. Webb, Associate (Chicago); patent litigation, patent prosecution, trademark and trade dress matters; J.D., order of the coif, University of Iowa.
Please direct all media inquiries to Colleen Strasser at 312-463-5465 or cstrasser@bannerwitcoff.com.
Posted: February 13, 2012
