Washington, D.C./Nashville, Tenn. (August 13, 2015) – Bass, Berry & Sims PLC is pleased to announce that Janelle D. Waack has joined the firm as a member and Juhi Kaveeshvar Patel as an attorney in the firm’s Intellectual Property & Technology practice, deepening the firm’s experience in patent and trademark matters. Both are former examiners at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and will practice out of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.
“Janelle is an important addition to our team of patent attorneys and greatly enhances our capabilities in the chemical, biotech and pharmaceutical arts. Her extensive experience handling patent interferences and post-grant review proceedings, managing patent prosecution and portfolio development, and counseling on all aspects of strategic IP asset management complements our existing comprehensive patent practice,” said Terry Clark, member of the firm’s Intellectual Property practice.
“Juhi strengthens our existing IP practice with her trademark experience and background. Our clients will greatly benefit from the insight she provides as a former examining attorney at the USPTO. I am excited to welcome Janelle and Juhi to the firm’s ever growing IP practice,” said Bob Brewer, member of the firm’s Intellectual Property practice.
Waack represents clients in the life sciences sector in litigation relating to patent infringement and patent validity, as well as on specialty proceedings before the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), handling patent interferences, derivation proceedings, inter partes reviews, post grant reviews, reissuances and reexaminations.
In Waack’s 20-plus years of experience she has managed IP due diligence reviews for corporate acquisitions and other transactions, providing patent related opinions and advising clients on the strategic development and licensing of patent portfolios. She has served as lead counsel for numerous inter partes matters before the PTAB and prevailed in complex, multi-party and multi-jurisdiction disputes, including actions before district courts and the Federal Circuit. She has extensive experience in patent interference matters, representing clients on issues of patentability, priority of invention, inventorship and ownership. Her client list consists of companies across the life sciences sector, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, chemistry, agricultural products, genetically engineered crops, stem cell technology, software, unmanned aerial vehicles and medical devices.
Waack earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and is a graduate of The George Washington University National Law Center.
Patel’s practice centers on trademarks and administrative proceedings. She is a former trademark examining attorney at the USPTO, where she examined thousands of federal trademark registrations as well as defended the agency’s position, drafted briefs and prepared cases for ex parte appeals to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB).
Patel earned her bachelor’s degree in economics and history from the University of Michigan and is a graduate of Emory University School of Law.
About Bass, Berry & Sims PLC
With more than 220 attorneys representing numerous publicly traded companies and Fortune 500 businesses, Bass, Berry & Sims PLC has been involved in some of the largest and most significant business transactions and litigation matters in the country. For more information, visit bassberry2022.wpengine.com.