Belanger and Renaud, Patent Litigators, Join Firm as Partners
Boston, MA – March 7, 2007 – LAWFUEL – IP Law News – Pepper Hamilton LLP announced that it has expanded its Boston office with the addition of William D. Belanger and Michael T. Renaud, patent litigators, who have joined the firm’s intellectual property practice as partners.
“Bill and Mike are excellent additions to our Boston office and to our intellectual property practice,” said Robert E. Heideck, Pepper’s executive partner. “Both have deep experience with patent litigation and extremely strong reputations. We’re very excited that they and their team of associates have chosen to join Pepper.”
Mr. Belanger and Mr. Renaud, both of whom have degrees in mechanical engineering, joined Pepper from Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C. in Boston, where they were members of the firm’s intellectual property section. Three intellectual property associates moved with them from Mintz Levin to Pepper: Ibrahim Hallaj, Aaron J. Levangie and Alison L. McCarthy.
“It is a pleasure to be joining Pepper’s new Boston office,” said Mr. Belanger. “I’m looking forward to expanding our practice both in the city and nationally.”
“Pepper offers us a terrific opportunity to grow our client base with all the resources of a strong IP practice group,” said Mr. Renaud. “Pepper’s a great fit for our practice, and I’m looking forward to working with our new colleagues at the firm.”
Mr. Belanger concentrates his practice in patent litigation, licensing and client counseling on intellectual property matters. He has extensive patent litigation experience and has successfully litigated patent, trademark and other intellectual property cases in federal courts and before the U.S. International Trade Commission. He has litigated cases involving a wide range of technologies, including digital imaging, subsea equipment, telecommunications and networking, computer software, automotive components, laser and ink jet printers, memory devices and fiber optics. He has also negotiated many patent licenses and other agreements involving intellectual property, and he has counseled clients in the enforcement and prosecution of European patents, including opposition proceedings before the European Patent Office.
Mr. Belanger received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University (B.S. in mechanical engineering) and his law degree from George Mason University School of Law. He is a member of the bars of Massachusetts, the District of Columbia and Virginia, and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as well as several federal district and circuit courts. In addition to working in private practice, Mr. Belanger served as attorney-advisor to the Honorable Paul J. Luckern at the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Mr. Renaud focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation, primarily patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret disputes. He has represented high-technology clients in state and federal court at the trial and appellate levels throughout the United States. He has successfully litigated patent cases in a variety of industries, including electronics, telecommunications and networking, digital imaging, computer software, medical devices, explosive detection systems and interactive voice response systems.
Mr. Renaud received his undergraduate degree from Duke University (B.S. in mechanical engineering) and his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and various other federal and appellate courts around the country. Before receiving his law degree, Mr. Renaud was an engineer for Textron Lycoming in Stratford, Conn., working on gas turbine engines.
Mr. Hallaj’s practice includes representing plaintiffs and defendants in patent litigation, as well as prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications, and developing patent portfolios for small and medium-sized clients. He has experience in the areas of acoustic wave propagation, ultrasonic systems, wireless communication, medical imaging, computer software and hardware, business methods, sensors and control systems. Before he attended law school, Mr. Hallaj was a post-doctoral research fellow in radiology at Harvard Medical School, and he has worked as a consultant for semiconductor and medical device companies.
Mr. Hallaj received a B.S. in physics from the University of Massachusetts, an M.S. in mechanical engineering and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Washington, and his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and other federal and appellate courts. Mr. Hallaj is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he served six years prior to graduate school as a submarine reactor plant operator and supervisor.
Mr. Levangie focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation, primarily patent disputes. Before entering private practice, he served as the attorney-advisor to the Honorable Paul J. Luckern, Administrative Law Judge, at the U.S. International Trade Commission. Mr. Levangie received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University and his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Ms. McCarthy prosecutes patent applications in the high-tech arena and handles various aspects of IP due diligence, licensing and litigation. She has experience in managing patent portfolios for domestic and foreign clients, and she has worked with patents in a broad range of technologies, including wireless communication, subsea equipment, digital imaging and medical devices. Ms. McCarthy received a B.A. in physics from Saint Anselm College, a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Catholic University of America, and her J.D. from New England School of Law. She is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
About Pepper Hamilton
Pepper Hamilton LLP (www.pepperlaw.com) is a multi-practice law firm with 450 lawyers in seven states and the District of Columbia. The firm provides corporate, litigation and regulatory legal services to leading businesses, governmental entities, nonprofit organizations and individuals throughout the nation and the world. The firm was founded in 1890.
Pepper’s Boston office opened in October 2006. Lawyers in the office have particular depth in corporate, tax, and patent litigation and other intellectual property matters. In the corporate and tax area, Pepper’s Boston lawyers have long experience representing private equity firms, public companies and businesses in the life sciences. The firm’s intellectual property experience covers a wide range of technologies, including electronics, telecommunications, digital imaging, networking and software.
Pepper’s Intellectual Property Practice Group is an interdisciplinary team that procures intellectual property rights, and litigates or otherwise resolves intellectual property problems. The firm’s lawyers are capable and experienced in all intellectual property areas, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secret protection, unfair competition, false advertising, and defamation, publicity and privacy issues. Pepper also handles technology-related transactions and litigation, domestic and international technology transfer, author/publisher relations and U.S. government proprietary rights regulation.
