Our Attorneys & Agents
At Gifford Krass, our diverse group of highly skilled attorneys and agents bring a deep range of technological and legal experience to our clients' representation, with a number of our lawyers holding advanced degrees in areas of our clients' fields of technology. Prior to attending law school, many of our attorneys hold PhDs in chemistry; materials science and engineering; neuroscience; physiology and biochemistry; and other highly technical fields.
In addition, many of our attorneys have worked in technical capacities in related industries. This combination of real world, hands-on business experience, advanced education and legal expertise enables our firm to efficiently and effectively assess and support the needs of our clients. Most importantly, our attorneys have years of experience in protecting and maximizing the value of intellectual property.
Through a shared view of how to effectively and efficiently represent clients, Gifford Krass attorneys are committed to leveraging their scientific and technical backgrounds and creativity to contribute to the protection of our clients' valuable intellectual property. We have long been at the forefront in all facets of the highly specialized practice of intellectual property law.
Our expert support staff includes paralegals with extensive experience in patent prosecution support, patent cooperation treaty (PCT) filing, and post-filing and maintenance fee management. Our attorneys and support staff have worked together in teams for many years. Everyone is familiar with firm procedures and policies. While ultimate responsibility for compliance rests with the lead partner, duplicative checks and balances are built into our operating procedures.
Ernest I. Gifford
Voted 2010 Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit
Michigan State University (A.B. Math., 1956)
Wayne State University (J.D. 1960)
egifford@patlaw.com
Allen M. Krass
Voted 2010 Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit
University of Michigan (B.S.E.E. 1953)
Wayne State University (J.D. 1956)
akrass@patlaw.com
Douglas W. Sprinkle
Voted 2010 Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit
University of Michigan (B.S.E.E. 1970, J.D. 1975)
dsprinkle@patlaw.com
Thomas E. Anderson
Voted 2010 Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit
Wayne State University (B.A. Econ. 1974)
University of Detroit (J.D. 1980)
tanderson@patlaw.com
Ronald W. Citkowski
Voted 2010 Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit
University of Detroit (B.S. Chem. 1968)
Wayne State University (J.D. 1982)
rcitkowski@patlaw.com
Julie A. Greenberg
Voted 2010 Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit
Selected for inclusion in the 2009 Michigan Super Lawyers
University of Michigan (B.S. Chem. 1982; J.D. 1985)
jgreenberg@patlaw.com
Douglas J. McEvoy
Lawrence Technological University (B.S.M.E. 1986)
Detroit College of Law (J.D. 1990)
dmcevoy@patlaw.com
John G. Posa
University of Michigan (B.S.E.E. 1975)
Lewis & Clark College of Law (J.D. 1994)
jposa@patlaw.com
Douglas L. Wathen
Purdue University (B.S.M.E. 1990)
University of Michigan (J.D. 1995)
dwathen@patlaw.com
Mark D. Schneider
Oakland University (B.S. Biology 1994)
Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University (J.D. 1998)
mschneider@patlaw.com
Kevin S. MacKenzie
Michigan State University (B.S.E. Chemical Engineering 1992)
University of Detroit-Mercy Law School (J.D. 1998)
kmackenzie@patlaw.com
Julie K. Staple Ph.D.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
(B.S. Biology; M.S. Biology; Ph.D. Neuroscience; J.D. 2004)
jstaple@patlaw.com
Martin S. Bancroft Ph.D.
University of Manchester, UK (B.Sc. Physics 1985, Ph.D. 1989)
University of Michigan (J.D. 2004)
mbancroft@patlaw.com
Mark A. Harper, Ph.D.
Ohio State University (B.S./M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering; Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering 1992)
Northern Illinois University (J.D. 2005)
mharper@patlaw.com
John Chau
United States Naval Academy (B.S. in Control Systems Engineering 1998)
Ave Maria School of Law (J.D. 2007)
jchau@patlaw.com
Cesare Sclafani
Oakland University (B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2005)
Wayne State University (J.D. 2008)
csclafani@patlaw.com
Weston R. Gould Ph.D.
University of Michigan (B.S. Cellular and Molecular Biology)
University of Vermont (Ph.D. Biochemistry)
Quinnipiac University (J.D.)
wgould@patlaw.com
Erin B. Klug
University of Michigan (B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2006)
Case Western Reserve University School of Law (J.D. 2009)
eklug@patlaw.com