November 1, 2007—Lee & Hayes adds new members to its Post-Filing Patent Prosecution Emphasis Team

Spokane, Washington - Lee & Hayes, pllc, has a team to take on the growing demand of patent applications in the post-filing prosecution stage. The emphasis of this team is shepherding patent applications for their client’s inventions from the filing stage to issuance.

The patent prosecution-emphasis team includes long-term Lee & Hayes veterans: Chris Fairborn (with 6 years of patent experience), Kayla Brant (with 7 years of patent experience), and Kasey Christie (with 13 years of patent experience). Kasey has the honor of serving as the leader of this team. Also supporting the team are Carly Bokarica (paralegal) and Megan Arnold (paralegal assistant).

Over the past several months, several patent professionals have joined this team in the Spokane office. Kasey and his team are pleased to welcome the following people to the team and to Lee & Hayes:

Bea Koempel-Thomas has a B.S. in Computer Science from Central Washington University, Cum Laude and completed her J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law. Before joining Lee & Hayes, Bea served as an Examiner in the technologies of computer security and cryptography at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Her expertise includes prosecuting applications in the areas of cryptography and information security; database and file management; and related computer technologies.

Clay Hagler has a B.A. in philosophy from Whitman College and has completed post-baccalaureate studies in computer science from Portland State University. He has a broad range of experience in computer software, hardware and the financial services industries. Prior to joining Lee & Hayes, he was a member of the historic Windows 2000 team at Microsoft; a key contributor to the design of systems in support of 2 generations of processor manufacturing at Intel and while at Corillian he designed and supported financial systems for the largest banks in the country.

Jacob Rohwer has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington and is currently pursuing his J.D. at Seattle University School of Law. Prior to joining Lee & Hayes, he was an examiner at the USPTO in the area of printer technology as related to static presentation of images involving facsimile, scanning and printing. Jacob’s areas of expertise include robotics, network communication systems and computer software.

Jason Lindh has a B.S. in Electronics Engineering from Central Washington University and completed his J.D. Gonzaga University School of Law. Prior to joining Lee & Hayes, he worked as a Lithography Engineering Technician for Intel and was an Associate with McKee, Voorhees & Sease in Des Moines, IA. Jason published his article Protecting clients' products from genericide in the Iowa Lawyer, October 2006.

John Fain holds both a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, with Highest Honors, as well as a Masters Certificate in Commercial Project Management from George Washington University. John has been a project manager and lead UNIX software developer at Bell Laboratories. He was also involved with analysis and design of military and commercial data communication systems, including the evaluation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) for military applications. Additionally, he was a member of a NASA Space Shuttle team to study space based ground surveillance equipment. His post-graduate work involved the design of neural networks with genetic algorithms used for image processing and pattern recognition.

John Meline has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Utah and completed his J.D. from the University of Texas. He spent two years as a computer programmer and systems administrator for two industry-leading companies designing software for chemical process automation and simulation, and computer security. Before joining Lee & Hayes, John worked for Carstens & Cahoon, LLP in Dallas, clerked with the Seventh Judicial District Court in Bonneville County in Idaho, and led his own patent law firm. In his career, John’s practice has focused primarily on patent procurement (i.e., preparation & prosecution), but he also has experience in all areas of IP law and litigation support of such.

Ningning Xu has a B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering, with honors from Shanghai Jioa Tong University. He completed his Master of IP at Franklin Pierce Law Center and went on to complete more graduate level coursework at Northern Illinois University. Prior to joining Lee & Hayes, Ningning worked for Morgan & Finnegan in New York, was a tech and research assistant for the department of Electrical Engineering at Northern Illinois University, and was an associate in Shanghai with Allbright Law Offices. His expertise includes computer software and hardware, semiconductor technologies, networking systems, display technologies, imaging and printing, optical structures, control systems, and manufacturing processes.

Randy Palmer has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University. Randy’s technical expertise includes ISO 9000 processes, harsh environments standards, liquid cooling, materials processing, phase-change heat transfer, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat exchangers, control systems, electronics packaging, mounting and enclosures, all gained while working in the electronics cooling industry for SprayCool. He has over 15 patents pending that stem from his work there, and spent 2 1/2 years as their patent portfolio manager.

“Our team’s purpose is to effectively and efficiently shepherd our clients’ patent applications through the prosecution process, from filing to issuance, and producing valuable patents,” said team leader, Kasey Christie, in regards to his practice philosophy. “One of our key means of accomplishing that purpose is to focus on establishing and maintaining a good, honest, and professional relationship with the examining corps of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.”

Back to the News