Duane Morris' South Florida Offices Add Three Intellectual Property Attorneys

December 9, 2010

MIAMI, December 9, 2010—Duane Morris LLP is pleased to announce that three attorneys have joined the firm's Intellectual Property Practice Group in Florida from Novak Druce + Quigg. In its Boca Raton office, J. Rodman Steele, Jr., has joined as a partner and Gregory Lefkowitz has joined as an associate. In Miami, Karen Chuang Kline joins the firm as an associate. The additions further bolster Duane Morris' highly ranked and growing national IP practice. National publications, including Intellectual Property Today, IP Law & Business, IP Law Bulletin and IP Law360 have all ranked Duane Morris among the leading law firms handling patents, trademarks and related IP litigation.

J. Rodman Steele concentrates his practice on patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright matters. He has represented universities, technology and food-product companies and service businesses in all stages of procuring and protecting their intellectual property. He has represented clients from more than 20 countries and has been responsible for the procurement of approximately 10,000 patents, trademarks and copyrights. Since 1985, he has represented parties involved in 125 IP-related lawsuits.

Steele is a member of numerous trade and legal organizations, including the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), the International Association for the Protection of Industrial Property, the International Federation of Industrial Property Attorneys and the International Trademark Association. He is also a past chairman of the Enterprise Development Corporation, a South Florida nonprofit organization that assists emerging science and technology companies. In addition, Steele has provided pro bono counsel and leadership to many nonprofit organizations and educational institutions in Florida, and has spoken and written on intellectual property legal topics. He has been recognized by the Best Lawyers in America, most recently in its 2011 edition; Who's Who of Patent Lawyers; Florida Legal Elite and Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition.

Prior to receiving his LL.M. in Patent Law and Trade Regulation from The George Washington University Law School in 1971, Steele earned his J.D. from Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law in 1966. He graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Delaware in 1963. A former captain in the U.S. Army, Steele was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam and also received the Army Commendation Medal.

Gregory Lefkowitz concentrates his practice on patent, trademark and copyright procurement and litigation, as well as the protection of trade secrets. He has extensive experience handling patent applications within the chemistry, materials science, mechanical engineering and biotechnology fields, including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, superconductors, photovoltaic cells, fuel cells and turbine engines, and other technologies. He holds three patents (with another inventor) from his time as a research scientist for a major consumer products company.

Lefkowitz earned his J.D., with high honors, in 2006 from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law; and graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, with high honors, from the University of Florida in 1999.

Karen Chuang Kline focuses her practice in the areas of trademark, patent and copyright procurement, enforcement and licensing, as well as related litigation. She has counseled clients in all aspects of their domestic and international trademark portfolios. Kline has also represented clients in patent and trademark disputes in federal district courts and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and International Trade Commission. Prior to law school, she worked for the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, where she coordinated with Institute staff and various research institutions to evaluate, award and monitor research grant applications. She is a member of the AIPLA.

Kline earned her J.D., with honors, in 2008 from The George Washington University Law School, where she served as managing editor of The George Washington International Law Review, and received an M.B.A. from The George Washington University in 2004. She graduated with a B.S. in Biology from the University of Miami in 2000.