Where did you go to school; what did you study and how did you make your way into IP Law?

I had experience with the IP field from a very early age. I spent a great deal of time as a child at my father’s office, who just happened to be an IP attorney. Of course, as a small child you are more interested in the fun inventions in his office than writing patent applications. So, I had knowledge of the IP field, but I didn’t have an interest in it until after college. I started at the University of Dayton as an undeclared engineer because I was always interested in how things operated. After taking some early engineering classes, I realized mechanical engineering was the best field for me because I was interested in how different mechanical systems interacted. I enjoyed the technical field and critical thinking skills those engineering classes gave me. After some time working as an engineer, I felt like I could do more with my problem-solving skills and interest in technology. I contemplated different options, and it was then that I thought back to IP law. After talking with different IP lawyers, including my father, I realized the IP field had everything I was looking for, it allowed me to use my engineering skills to solve a variety of different challenges covering all different kinds of technical fields. After that, I applied to Case Western Reserve University Law School and the rest, as they say, is history.

Early career: What did you do; what brought you to Renner Otto?

So, after graduating I worked at a boutique IP firm in Cleveland before joining a smaller boutique firm. I greatly enjoyed working at the smaller boutique firm because it gave me a different skill set than the one I built from the first firm because it was focused more on the interaction of mechanical and computer systems, especially the growing autonomous vehicle field. Writing mechanical patent applications tend to focus on how the different components are arranged and interacting with each other; by comparison, computer patent applications tend to focus on what the system does and what the system outputs. So, this gave me a different way of looking at and framing in my mind different inventions and ideas.

Additionally, one of the other things I liked about the smaller boutique firm was the sort of family atmosphere it fostered where the partners and associates wouldeat lunch together and you could walk in anyone’s office and ask a question or receive some training from one of the partners. Sadly, the firm dissolved, and I had to look for another firm.  During the search, I remembered my time with Don Bulson, who was an adjunct professor at Case Law School, and how much I enjoyed learning from him, so I sent my resume. Throughout my law school and professional career, I had heard great things about Renner Otto, and luckily, they also happened to be looking for a mechanical engineer associate, and I joined the firm in January 2022.  

What do you think makes Renner Otto unique or a better place to work than the other competitors/firms?

How accessible everyone is here. At other firms, there is sometimes a sort of divide between the associates and the partners; whereas here I feel like you can walk up to anyone’s office and ask a question, about law or even how to interact with a particular client. There are so many smart and talented attorneys here, so it is truly great that I can just go into their office and we’ll bounce ideas off each other. Moreover, they are, truly,  invested in helping you grow in your legal career, be it interacting with clients on your own or helping to grow your personal business base.

What do you love most about working in IP Law? Any particularly exciting clients or products you’ve worked on?

The absolute variety of different technical fields. I could go from learning about car door hinges one day to hypersonic vehicles the next to percussive massage devices the following day. You feel like you are learning something new every day, so it never feels stale coming into work. I also take great joy in how proud inventors are when you are able to get a granted patent for them. Because they spend so much time and effort working on their idea, you can tell it makes them happy when you are able to obtain a patent for them.

Life outside work: What are your hobbies? Where do you live? Family life? Tell us a little more about your personal life.

My wife and I got married in October 2019 right before the world shut down, so we were happy to finally get in our honeymoon in summer 2021. We ended up going on safari in South Africa, which is where the picture is from. We love traveling, so being cooped up for so long with nowhere we could go or eat out at was tough. We had bought our house in Cleveland Heights the summer before our wedding, so moving in together while also planning a wedding was a little stressful; but we love where we live because we can walk to a variety of different small shops and restaurants. We also participate in a lot of races, including a variety of 5k and 10k races around the Cleveland area and have run a few half marathons at Disney World in Florida. Outside of that, we love spending time at home with our two rescue cats.