I never expected to work with a former nuclear submarine officer in the litigation field, but it turns out that we’re bringing such a person “on board” at Cogent Legal. I’m pleased to announce that attorney Michael Kelleher is joining our firm as an intellectual property and business litigation consultant. Not only did Mike spend several years in the Navy on the aforementioned submarine (hence his twitter handle, @lawnuke), he also practiced more than 16 years as a litigator of patent, trade secret, trademark, unfair competition and other complex cases.
Mike’s time on that sub taught him science and engineering skills, leadership and level-headedness, which served him well as an IP litigator. At Cogent Legal, he’ll collaborate with our clients and graphic designers to develop strategy and visual aids for cases in the IP and business fields.
Until 2009, Mike was a litigation partner at Folger Levin & Kahn, where he headed FLK’s intellectual property practice. At FLK, Mike represented clients in many high-profile disputes, including PeopleSoft’s unfair competition battle against Oracle’s takeover attempts, and Cisco’s trademark claim over Apple’s use of Cisco’s registered IPHONE trademark. Mike is a registered patent attorney and a veteran of several trials in federal and state courts.
More recently, Mike was general counsel for an advertising technology startup, DS-IQ, which provides digital signage and automated marketing software for retail. In this fast-paced entrepreneurial culture, he worked on all legal issues, including patent litigation, patent prosecution, privacy, licensing, commercial contracts, security and trademarks. Mike also provides expertise in e-discovery, having edited the Matthew Bender Practice Guide on E-Discovery.
The experience that Mike and I bring to Cogent Legal as longtime trial attorneys is part of what differentiates this firm from other litigation graphics providers. We know that it’s much easier to bridge the gap between legal concepts and visual case presentation when you’ve actually litigated cases and seen firsthand what works—and what doesn’t—in mediation and in the courtroom. By adding Mike to Cogent’s team, our clients will benefit from his training in chemistry, computers, electronics and engineering (as well as his understanding of how to live underwater for months at a time).
Please watch this blog for Mike’s litigation insights in the near future, and contact us if you’d like to discuss how Mike and Cogent Legal could assist in developing and presenting your case as effectively as possible. I also invite you to check out our e-guide to graphics for patent litigation (must be viewed on a Flash-enabled device).
Welcome aboard, Mike!