Sterne Kessler Elects Six New Directors

Washington D.C. (January 3, 2019) – Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is proud to announce the election of six new directors – Ryan C. Richardson, Daniel S. Block, Richard M. Bemben, Lestin L. Kenton, Jr., Pauline M. Pelletier, and Jason A. Fitzsimmons – effective January 1, 2019.

“On behalf of everyone at Sterne Kessler, I am pleased to congratulate our newest directors: Ryan, Dan, Richard, Lestin, Pauline, and Jason. We value the contributions these talented and dedicated attorneys have already made to the firm and to our clients. It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome them to our directorship,” said Managing Director, Michael B. Ray.

The firm’s new directors are:

• Ryan C. Richardson is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Electronics and Trial & Appellate Practice Groups. Ryan’s practice focuses on post-grant proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), as well as U.S. district court litigation and International Trade Commission (ITC) litigation. Ryan has handled dozens of contested cases before the PTAB involving technologies ranging from semiconductor fabrication and geographic information systems, to wireless communications. He is experienced in representing both patent owners and petitioners. Ryan also regularly represents both Complainants and Respondents across a wide range of technologies in Section 337 investigations before the ITC. He is an experienced litigator who has examined witnesses at trial, presented at Markman hearings, and tried cases before the PTAB. Further, Ryan has significant capabilities in the preparation and prosecution of U.S. and foreign patent applications for a wide range of entities from emerging growth companies to large multi-national corporations. Ryan received his Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan, and received his J.D., with a focus on intellectual property law, from the University of New Hampshire School of Law, Franklin Pierce Center for Intellectual Property.
• Daniel S. Block is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Electronics Practice Group. Dan’s practice primarily focuses on patent and anti-counterfeiting litigation at the International Trade Commission and in Federal district court. Dan has been integral in designing and implementing anti-counterfeiting measures for numerous international brands, with a focus on cost-neutral enforcement strategies. He has also served as counsel in over 50 post-grant proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board. His technical expertise covers many areas of computing including: computer graphics, networking communications, web services, complex computer architectures, and storage systems. Dan holds a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, as well as a B.S. in computer science from Rochester Institute of Technology.
• Richard M. Bemben is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Electronics Practice Group. His practice focuses on matters before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, including patent prosecution and portfolio development, administrative trials before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and appeals of PTAB trials to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Richard has represented both patent owners and patent challengers in diverse technology spaces, such as financial technologies (FinTech), telecommunications, computer hardware, including multicore CPUs and graphics processors, and computer software. He is a co-leader of the firm’s FinTech and Blockchain Technology industry initiative, regularly attending and speaking at industry conferences and events on these topics. Richard holds a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School, as well as a M.S. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in computer engineering from Virginia Tech. Richard is a member of Tau Beta Pi and IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu.
• Lestin L. Kenton, Jr. is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Electronics Practice Group. Lestin’s practice includes many aspects of intellectual property law including post grant review proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Section 337 Investigations before the U.S. International Trade Commission, infringement and validity opinions, patent portfolio evaluations, and the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in conjunction with pursuing global prosecution strategies. Lestin has extensive experience practicing before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, challenging and defending already-issued patents. Additionally, Lestin has significant experience drafting and prosecuting patent applications relating to imagery, web, telecommunications, geographic information system technologies, graphics processing, avionics, optics, database management systems, computer networking, communications protocols, browsers, and computer architecture. Further, Lestin has wide ranging industry experience in advanced radar simulation systems, software, communications and networking, embedded systems, database systems, and web-based technology. He has experience with a variety of programming languages including C/C++, Java, J2EE, XML, HTML, and Perl. He has developed systems using a variety of operating system platforms including, Unix, Linux and Windows. Lestin holds a J.D. from Widener University School of Law, and a B.S.E. in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania.
• Pauline M. Pelletier is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Trial & Appellate Practice Group. She focuses her practice on patent litigation before the federal courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission, as well as post-grant trial, reexamination, and interference practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Pauline also represents clients before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Pauline was an associate and re-joined the firm after clerking for the Hon. Randall R. Rader, then chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Before her clerkship, Pauline used her technical background in bioinformatics to prepare and prosecute patent applications in addition to representing clients in litigation, inter partes review, covered business method review, and reexamination in a variety of technology areas. Prior to law school, Pauline worked as an Internet applications developer for a notable medical institution, where she developed online systems for clinical trial management and biomedical research. Pauline holds a J.D. with a concentration in intellectual property from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, as well as a M.S. in biotechnology and bioinformatics and a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University.
• Jason A. Fitzsimmons is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Mechanical & Design Practice Group. Jason specializes in obtaining patent protection for cutting edge technologies, conducting complex post-grant proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and providing opinions of counsel. A major focus of Jason’s practice is post-grant proceedings. He has significant expertise in inter partes reviews, as well as ex parte reexamination, inter partes reexamination, and derivation proceedings. Jason has broad experience preparing and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications and drafting validity, infringement, and patentability opinions. His primary areas of technical experience include: sporting goods, medical devices, physiological sensors, communications systems, consumer electronics, automotive systems, industrial equipment, textiles and apparel, optical devices, and clean energy technologies. Jason holds a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and a B.S. in physics-engineering from Washington & Lee University.

About Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox

Based in Washington, D.C. and renown for more than four decades for dedication to the protection, transfer, and enforcement of intellectual property rights, Sterne Kessler is one of the most highly regarded intellectual property specialty law firms in the world. Its team of attorneys, registered patent agents, students, and technical specialists include some of the country’s most respected practitioners of IP law, tackling innovations across a broad spectrum of industries. The firm’s practitioners hold nearly 50 masters and 50+ doctorate degrees in science or engineering and represent Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, start-ups, inventors, venture capital firms, and universities in a client service driven environment that is welcoming, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating. Visit the firm online at sternekessler.com.