Banner & Witcoff, Ltd., a national intellectual property law firm that procures, enforces and litigates intellectual property rights throughout the world, announces the election of eight shareholders.
Katie L. Becker, Elected Principal Shareholder, Chicago, joined the firm in 2007. She focuses her practice on patent litigation, prosecution and counseling in chemical matters, in addition to litigation and counseling in trademark and trade dress matters. She also represents clients in post-issuance proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Ms. Becker earned her Bachelor of Science degree in food science and a certificate in business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She earned her Juris Doctor and a certificate in intellectual property law from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Louis DiSanto, Elected Principal Shareholder, Chicago, joined the firm in 2008. He has experience in all aspects of IP practice, including litigation, patent prosecution, and IP portfolio management. Mr. DiSanto’s cases span a range of technologies, and he has served as trial and prosecution counsel for clients in the fields of polymer chemistry & materials, mechanical devices, medical devices, software, and industrial electronics. Prior to law school, Mr. DiSanto worked as a research assistant at Nalco Chemical Company and as a pharmaceuticals manufacturing engineer at Abbott Laboratories. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering at Michigan State University. He earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law.
Timothy J. Rechtien, Elected Principal Shareholder, Chicago, joined the firm in 2006 as a summer associate during law school. In his practice, Mr. Rechtien has worked on both litigation and patent prosecution matters. Prior to law school, Mr. Rechtien worked as a fossil power technologies engineer for Sargent & Lundy LLC. He also worked in technical sales for United Supply Service Inc. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University. He earned his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from The John Marshall Law School.
Bradley J. Van Pelt, Elected Principal Shareholder, Chicago, joined the firm in 2006. He focuses his practice on prosecution, counseling and litigation in all areas of intellectual property. In addition to his utility patent practice, he has extensive experience in procuring design patents. Prior to Banner & Witcoff, Mr. Van Pelt was a patent examiner for applications directed to the mechanical arts at the Patent and Trademark Office. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University.
Eric J. Hamp, Elected Shareholder, Chicago, joined the firm in 2010 as a summer associate during law school. He focuses his practice on the litigation of patent, trademark and trade secret matters, as well as the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in a variety of technological fields. Prior to Banner & Witcoff, Mr. Hamp worked in the chemical industry at Ecolab, Inc., and Stepan Company. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from Carleton College and his Master of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Chicago. He earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the Northwestern University School of Law.
Scott M. Kelly, Elected Shareholder, Washington, D.C., joined the firm in 2013. He focuses his practice on intellectual property issues related to computer software, networking and business methods. He regularly counsels clients regarding validity, infringement, and other issues presented by asserted patents or potential acquisitions. Prior to Banner & Witcoff, he worked as a patent examiner at the Patent and Trademark Office, where he examined patents related to document processing and user interfaces. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, in computer science from Virginia Tech. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Anna L. King, Elected Shareholder, Chicago, joined the firm at the associate level in 2013. She focuses her practice on trademark and copyright prosecution and counseling matters. Ms. King has experience in prosecution of applications, enforcement and oppositions, and is part of a team that represents leading e-commerce, outdoor lifestyle products, and consumer electronic products and services companies. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology,cum laude, from Connecticut College. She earned her Juris Doctor from Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington.
Victoria R. McDonald Webb, Elected Shareholder, Chicago, joined the firm in 2010 as a summer associate during law school. She focuses her practice on intellectual property litigation, including utility patent, design patent, trademark, and trade dress matters. She also has experience in the preparation and prosecution of patents in the mechanical arts. Prior to law school, Ms. Webb worked in the plumbing division of Kohler Co., and in manufacturing, facilities, and quality at John Deere. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, in mechanical engineering from Marquette University. She graduated order of the coif from the University of Iowa College of Law.
About Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.
A national intellectual property law firm with more than 95 attorneys and 95 years of practice, Banner & Witcoff, Ltd., provides legal counsel and representation to the world’s most innovative companies. Our attorneys are known for having the breadth of experience and insight needed to handle complex patent applications as well as handle and resolve difficult disputes and business challenges for clients across all industries and geographic boundaries. For more information, please visit http://www.bannerwitcoff.com/.
Please direct all media inquiries to Amanda Robert at (312) 463-5465 or arobert@bannerwitcoff.com.
Posted: January 29, 2016
