principal

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I am a litigator and registered patent attorney with twenty-five years of combined experience litigating patents (federal court and ITC), inter partes reviews & reexamination, analysis and development of patent portfolios, patent prosecution, and licensing.  I have also advised on trade secrets.

Formerly a partner at the international law firm Howrey,  I have worked in a range of technologies, whether hardware, software, or mechanical e.g., cell phones, chip design, computer networks, computer controlled machines, disk drives, graphical interfaces, image sensors, LEDs, memory chips, microprocessors, microwave and antenna technology, position sensors, power systems, software defined storage, wafer manufacturing, and wireless communications.

Before practicing law, I was a senior design engineer at Westinghouse in microwave technology.  I am also a former registered Professional Engineer.

My firm handles matters of various sizes and complexities.  On particular matters with client consent, I associate with legal personnel including independent and experienced lawyers.  In addition, I will support other firms, for example, in cases of specialized need.

I founded Piatnicia Legal to represent companies of all sizes, including start-ups and international companies.

Admissions

• State Bars:  Only District of Columbia and California (inactive)
• United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• United States District Court for the Northern District of California
• United States District Court for the Central District of California
• United States District Court for the Southern District of California
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
• United States Patent and Trademark Office
• California State Courts

Education

• New York University School of Law, J.D; Journal of International Law and Politics, Editorial Staff
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, M.S., Electrical Engineering with published thesis
• University of Dayton, Bachelor Electrical Engineering, cum laude; Honors Program with Honors Thesis; Tau Beta Pi; S.C. Allen Memorial Scholarship; University of Dayton Honors Scholarship