11 additional Brinks attorneys have been selected for inclusion on the Best Lawyers list
CONTACT: Barbara Fornasiero, EAFocus, Inc; 248.260.8466;barbara@eafocus.com
Ann Arbor, Mich. —August 15, 2019— Steven L. Oberholtzer, managing shareholder of the Ann Arbor office of Chicago-based Brinks Gilson & Lione, one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the U.S., was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2020 in the area of patent law. Oberholtzer has appeared on Best Lawyers 10 times since 2007 and joins 11 of his Brinks’ colleagues firm-wide on the 2020 list. Oberholtzer also received geographic “Lawyer of the Year” honors in patent law for Ann Arbor for the third time. Only one lawyer annually receives “Lawyer of the Year” recognition for each specialty and location.
Oberholtzer’s lifelong interest in the automotive industry and its products have contributed to his more than 35 years of experience as an intellectual property attorney who has been extensively involved in the development and implementation of corporate intellectual property policies, intellectual asset management, litigation and technology licensing. Early in his career, Oberholtzer was a senior project engineer with a domestic OEM manufacturer and also served as in-house patent counsel for a Tier 1 supplier. At Brinks, Oberholtzer has acted as primary outside counsel for a number of Tier 1 and lower tier supplier engagements that include worldwide responsibility for all intellectual property issues and management of teams of attorneys handling all facets of these matters.
Oberholtzer is co-chair, along with Ann Arbor shareholder James Cleland, of Brinks’ Automotive Industry Group, which offers comprehensive counsel on intellectual property litigation, patent, licensing, trademark, copyright and trade secret issues involving nearly every major system associated with a vehicle, and has a close eye on the evolving automotive market, including autonomy, mobility and connectivity, and the future of the industry. Oberholtzer was recognized for his automotive industry knowledge in IAM’s 2018 summary of Brinks’ strength in serving the intellectual property needs of the automotive sector and for his prosecution work in the 2019 IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals.
Oberholtzer is the principal author and original editor of The Basic Principles of Intellectual Property Law, originally published by Brinks in 2006 and released in its fourth, Centennial Edition to reflect ongoing changes in intellectual property law and coinciding with the firm’s 100th anniversary in 2017. He is also the principal author of the Brinks IP Toolkit, a resource binder of information for dealing with routine intellectual property legal matters including IP agreements, IP policies and procedures for companies, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and IP for information technology and social media. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Kettering University, formerly known as the General Motors Institute, and received his J.D. from the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University.
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Its methodology is designed to capture the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical and legal practice areas. More information is at www.BestLawyers.com.
Brinks Gilson & Lione
Celebrating more than 100 years of intellectual property law, Brinks Gilson & Lione is one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the U.S., and helps clients around the world to protect and enforce their intellectual property rights. Our lawyers, patent agents and scientific advisors assist clients in all aspects of patent, trademark, unfair competition, trade secret, and copyright law. Brinks attorneys provide informed counsel with respect to innovations in a range of complex and valuable technologies, including pharmaceuticals, chemicals, bioengineering, industrial manufacturing, electronics and software, and medical devices. More information can be found at www.brinksgilson.com.
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