SNR Denton announced today that Martin A. Bruehs, Charles R. Bruton and Scott W. Cummings have joined the firm as partners in its Intellectual Property and Technology practice. Also joining the firm are associates Gary D. Mangels, Ph.D., and Rajesh C. Noronha and Registered Patent Agent Mary Katherine Baumeister. The group also includes Allie Bernardo, Louie Malloy and Rebecca Brimmer, long-term legal assistants who support both the patent prosecution and litigation practices. The group joins SNR Denton from Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC. They are resident in the firm’s Washington, DC, office.
“Martin, Chuck and Scott are highly experienced and widely respected lawyers who bring a diverse practice that includes patent litigation, chemical, pharmaceutical, life sciences, medical devices and material science skills to our already deep intellectual property bench,” said Rob Hanson, head of SNR Denton’s Intellectual Property and Technology practice.
Bruehs served as a Chair of the Chemical, Pharmaceutical & Biotech Patent Practice at his former firm. He will serve as chair of the Chemical Patent Practice at SNR Denton. His practice focuses on the preparation and prosecution of United States and international patent applications in a range of technologies including chemistry, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical/cosmetic products and nanotechnology. His practice also includes patent litigation, counseling clients, preparing patentability, validity and infringement opinions, patent reissue and reexamination matters, patent interferences and intellectual property licensing. He has served as counsel in evidentiary hearings, Markman hearings and jury and bench trials in various federal district courts and as appellate counsel before the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Bruehs received his J.D. cum laude from Albany Law School of Union University and his B.S.E. in Chemical Enginerring, with honors, from The Pennsylvania State University.
“Chuck, Scott and I are enormously impressed with SNR Denton’s deep commitment to providing all the firm’s clients with the broadest possible range of services by highly skilled lawyers who can consistently find solutions to complex problems, including intellectual property matters, on a global scale. We believe that the firm’s global footprint and wide range of services will greatly benefit all our intellectual property clients,” said Martin Bruehs.
Bruton, who served as Chair of his former firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Group, focuses his practice on patent, trademark and other complex commercial litigation. He has served as trial counsel in dozens of cases in federal and state courts throughout the US. He has handled major cases involving pharmaceuticals, medical devices, gene therapy, Paragraph IV certification of generic drugs, semiconductors, communications systems, software security systems, elevator systems, mechanical locking systems for flooring projects, electronic document processing systems, steam pasteurization technology, heat transfer technology and bulk container technology. He has also handled cases involving antitrust claims, trade secrets, the Lanham Act, class actions, construction disputes and toxic torts.
Bruton received his J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he served as an Editor of the Stanford Law Review, and his A.B., with honors, from Northwestern University.
Cummings, who served as Chair of the Materials Science Practice Group at his former firm, focuses his practice on various areas of technology, science and engineering, including solar energy, fuel cells, catalysts, nanotechnology, metallurgy, inorganic chemistry, medical devices and automotive technologies. He services clients ranging from domestic startups to large multinational corporations. His practice includes patent prosecution and litigation, complex Patent Office proceedings, opinions, licensing, counseling and patent portfolio strategy and development. Before entering private practice, he was a Primary Examiner at the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Cummings received his J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law, and his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Dr. Mangels brings over 20 years of research and chemical industry experience to his legal practice. Prior to his legal career, he held senior positions in research and development with a large, diversified chemical manufacturing company where he often worked with regulatory agencies worldwide on environmental issues related to pesticides and animal health products. He focuses on the preparation and prosecution of domestic and foreign patent applications, counseling clients regarding intellectual property development and protection and the preparation of patentability, validity and infringement (freedom-to-operate) opinions.
Dr. Mangels received his J.D. from Rutgers School of Law, his Ph.D. and M.S. in Chemistry from Rutgers University and his B.S. in Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Noronha focuses his practice patent and trademark litigation and counseling clients in numerous areas of science and technology, including the chemical, electronic, mechanical, pharmaceutical and computer-related fields. Following law school, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Sue L. Robinson, Chief Judge of the US District Court for the District of Delaware, where he was involved in the adjudication of numerous federal cases, including complex patent cases involving biotechnology, medical devices, telecommunications and computer technology. He is also experienced in intellectual property licensing, portfolio development and management and electronic discovery.
Noronha received his J.D. from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, and his B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Baumeister is a Registered Patent Agent with decades of experience in the preparation and prosecution of US and foreign patent applications, including patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty and national and regional filings in the US, before the European Patent Office and elsewhere. Kathie began her career as a patent chemist and later as a patent agent for G.D. Searle & Co., and she also served as the Patent Director of Pharmatec, Inc., where she was responsible for preparation and prosecution of all international and domestic patent applications. Baumeister’s experience includes prosecution of patents involving pharmaceuticals, food additives, sweetening agents, chemical solubilizers and stabilizers, agricultural chemicals and cosmetics. She has also handled patent applications for new organic molecules, including steroids, peptides, polypeptides, carbohydrates and heterocycles, as well as new compositions containing these chemicals and processes for their preparation and use.
Baumeister received her B.A. in Chemistry from Mercyhurst University.
