Duane Morris is pleased to announce that Michael G. McManus and Rodney R. Sweetland III have joined the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group as partners in its Washington, D.C. office. Their arrival further bolsters Duane Morris’ Intellectual Property Practice Group, in particular with respect to complex patent-infringement cases before the International Trade Commission (ITC). They join Duane Morris from McKool Smith, where they were the founders of that firm’s D.C. office.
McManus and Sweetland will co-lead Duane Morris’ ITC practice, further adding to Duane Morris’ strength in that area. Duane Morris litigators have played a leading role in some of the most important patent law cases, including one of the largest patent cases ever tried before the ITC.
Michael McManus focuses his practice on patent-based Section 337 litigation before the ITC, along with patent-infringement litigation in the federal district courts. McManus has also represented clients in administrative proceedings before U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) concerning tariff classification, NAFTA, ITC exclusion orders and related matters. Prior to starting his private practice, he was an attorney advisor with CBP.
McManus is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, International Trade Commission Trial Lawyers Association, Washington International Trade Association, Patent Lawyers Club of Washington and the Georgia Conservancy. He is admitted to practice in Washington, D.C. and Georgia and is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
McManus earned his J.D. in 1993 from University of Arkansas School of Law, where he was on the Moot Court Board of Advocates and the Dean’s Honor Roll. He earned his M.S. in Chemistry in 1998 and his B.S. in Biology in 1996, both from Georgia State University. McManus graduated in 1991 with a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Georgia.
Rodney R. Sweetland III focuses his practice in the areas of intellectual property and unfair trade practices litigation before the ITC and federal district courts as well as complex commercial litigation. Sweetland also represents clients in matters involving semiconductors, lighting controls, optical processing and video graphic displays, among others.
He is a member of the Federal Circuit Bar Association and the International Trade Commission Trial Lawyers Association. Sweetland served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1988 to 2002.
Sweetland earned his J.D. in 1991 from George Washington University. He graduated in 1988 with a B.S. from Western Michigan University. Sweetland is admitted to practice in Washington, D.C.
