Doug is a shareholder who manages complex intellectual property portfolios. Selected by his peers as an "Emerging Lawyer" in the 2015-2017 editions of Emerging Lawyers Magazine, Doug has repeatedly received this distinction that recognizes only the top 2% of up-and-coming attorneys in Illinois.
Clients hire Doug to create, grow, and manage all prosecution aspects of their U.S. and international patent portfolios. Doug understands the intricate business needs of his clients, and works closely to protect their interests and assets in manners that are both effective and cost-efficient.
Doug has strategically and successfully prosecuted hundreds of patent applications across numerous engineering disciplines, including medical devices, diagnostic equipment, consumer electronics, Internet access devices, interactive broadband applications for cable and satellite television systems, audio processing systems, internal combustion engines, athletic equipment and apparel, packaging machinery, building construction, power tools, home and office products, industrial tractors, tire forming equipment, heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, and biological sample processing.
Doug has conducted comprehensive intellectual property audits for several companies. In the process, he has created policies and procedures for protecting patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets; analyzed competitors’ patent portfolios and implemented monitoring procedures; and strengthened employee and confidentiality agreements related to intellectual property.
Doug also has patent litigation experience relating to claim construction, preparation of invalidity contentions, and document review, and further has prepared several right to use and invalidity opinions for his clients.
Prior to his legal career, Doug achieved national recognition as a mechanical engineering graduate student at Stanford University. Doug's two main design projects, entitled "Seatbelt Hypertensioner" and "A Simple Anastomosis Device for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting," won the Best of Program and Gold Award, respectively, for the top two overall graduate entries in a nationwide engineering student design competition by The James F. Lincoln Arc Welding Foundation.