Eric Volz is a Senior Associate in the intellectual property practice group of Frost Brown Todd helping to acquire and defend intellectual property assets. Eric prepares and prosecutes patent applications for a wide variety of domestic and international clients before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He also counsels clients regarding related intellectual property issues, such as patentability and freedom to practice opinions.  While practicing generally in the mechanical arts, Eric's prior experience has more specifically focused on internal combustion engines, hydraulic systems, pneumatic systems, and medical devices. 

Cory Ingle is an associate at Dinsmore & Shohl. Cory concentrates his practice on intellectual property law with a focus on patent application preparation and prosecution both in the United States and abroad. Additionally, Cory advises clients on the patentability, freedom to practice, and licensing of technical innovations. Cory's work spans a variety of industries and technologies, including chemical engineering, materials, mechanical, and biomedical. Cory currently serves as the President of the Notre Dame Lawyers of Cincinnati. Additionally, Cory has experience relevant to serving as Treasurer of CincyIP by way of his involvement as Business Editor of a law journal where he managed general subscribership as well as financing of a large symposium. 

Harry J. Guttman, Ph.D., J.D. has more than fifteen years of intellectual property law experience, helping clients capture, procure, protect, generate income from, and enforce their intellectual property. He represents a diverse clientele, including multinational and Fortune 500 companies, start-ups and universities. Harry started his patent law career as a patent examiner in the Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry Technical Center of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.  He worked as a patent agent, student associate and associate at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, before moving to Cincinnati.  Prior to entering patent law, Harry garnered more than 10 years of scientific research experience.

 

CincyIP involvement:

Emily Judge is Brand Legal Senior Counsel at P&G for skin care and personal care brands including Olay and Old Spice.  She has served one previous term on the CincyIP Board of Directors and is a member of the CincyIP Programming committee.  She was active in organizing CincyBrand 2016.

 

At P&G, Emily works with P&G businesses to select and clear trademarks and protect marks in the US and internationally.  She also provides counsel on copyrights, right of publicity matters, and talent agreements, and has experience handling trademark and copyright disputes.  Prior to joining P&G in 2010, Emily practiced trademark and copyright law at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP in Cincinnati.  She received her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2007.  Before law school, Emily received a B.A. in Economics & English from Centre College and taught English in Japan for a year.

Kevin has testified before and advised members of the U.S. House of Representatives on proposed patent reform legislative initiatives. He is the primary author of the Patent Local Rules for the Southern District of Ohio, implemented in June 2010, and is a member of the Federal Rules Committee for the Southern District of Ohio. He is a frequent speaker and presenter on the subjects of patent litigation, reform and intellectual property. Kevin is one of only 25 intellectual property attorneys in the United States selected as a 2015 BTI Client Service All-Star. He is ranked in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of Intellectual Property, where he is described as "a very good litigator who listens well to the company's position and objectives and gets what we want" (Chambers USA 2014) and as "very bright, articulate and able to show his teeth when appropriate" (Chambers USA 2012). He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America©, as an IP Star for Ohio and the United States by Managing Intellectual Property, and in the Legal 500 United States.

Amanda Kitzberger is currently Vice President, General Counsel for Clopay Plastic Products Company Inc., headquartered in Mason, Ohio.  Clopay is a global manufacturer of engineered plastic films that are used in the baby care, personal hygiene, medical, and construction industries.  Amanda leads the global legal and human resource teams for Clopay, including responsibility for Clopay's intellectual property.

 

Previously, Amanda was a patent practitioner with the Intellectual Property group of Buckingham, Doolittle and Burroughs (a regional firm in NE Ohio), and later acted as Legal Director for GOJO Industries Inc., a global manufacturer of hand hygiene products, after expanding her responsibilities from management of GOJO's extensive IP portfolio. 

 

Originally from the Akron, Ohio area, Amanda now resides in Indian Hill with her husband, two young sons, and two dogs.

 

Amanda has attended CLE's sponsored by CincyIP, and is excited to become more involved with the Cincinnati legal and IP communities.

David Lafkas is the in-house patent and trademark attorney and an Innovation Engineering Black Belt® at Eureka! Ranch. 

 

Upon receiving a bachelor of science in chemistry from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and a juris doctor from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, David began his legal career for a topic intellectual property boutique law firm in Washington, DC. 

 

Upon returning to Cincinnati and operating his own patent and trademark law firm for 8+ years, Doug Hall, the founder of Eureka! Ranch, recognized David's ability to make the field of intellectual property accessible and understandable, while also providing practical counsel that focused more client long-term goals.  As such, Doug asked David to join Eureka! Ranch in early 2012.

 

Using his combined chemistry and legal background, David has spent more than a decade and a half navigating the intellectual property field with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to independent inventors, and now focuses on making the world of patents accessible and understandable to the world-wide Innovation Engineering community.

 

David is also a recent member of the Board of Trustees and the chair of the Professionalism Committee for the Cincinnati Bar Association, named a "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers, and an eleven-time "Leading Lawyer" in Greater Cincinnati.

 

David is a registered patent attorney licensed in Ohio and Missouri.

   

My involvement thus far with CincyIP has been serving as a panelist for Cincy Brand 2016 and attending some luncheon CLEs as a member of CincyIP.  This is the second year I have been asked to be more involved with the organization, and I think I can bring a different perspective as an IP attorney with a non-traditional professional role.  In addition, I bring experience being on the board of other professional organizations.

Abbey Lopez is Senior Innovation Counsel at Procter & Gamble.  She is the global intellectual property coordinator for P&G's air care business, which includes Febreze® and Ambi Pur® product lines that together generate over a billion dollars in revenue each year.  In this role, she drafts and prosecutes patent applications, advises on freedom to practice and contract issues, handles enforcement matters, and provides day to day counseling on a variety of IP issues.  She joined P&G in 2011 after graduating from Michigan State University College of Law.  Prior to attending law school, Abbey obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and worked for two years as a process engineer at B&P Process Equipment in Saginaw, Michigan.  

Abbey is a member of the Ohio Women's Bar Association.  She has a member of CincyIP since 2011.  Abbey led the implementation of the USPTO/IPO Girl Scout Patch initiative at P&G and will be working on the CincyIP subcommittee focused on expanding the Girl Scouts IP Patch work in the Cincinnati area. 

Carrie Shufflebarger is a partner with the law firm of Thompson Hine LLP, practicing in the firm's intellectual property group, with a focus on trademark and copyright counseling, prosecution, enforcement, and litigation.  She has represented clients in disputes in federal trial and appellate courts, before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and before the International Trade Commission.  Carrie represents clients of various sizes, ranging from individuals and start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, which span a broad range of industries, including apparel, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, school and office supplies, and various service sector industries.  She received her J.D. from Duke University, and her B.A. from Transylvania University.  Carrie serves as the co-chair of her office's Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, as the Vice-President of the Board of Directors for the Children's Law Center in Covington, KY, and is a member of the Transylvania Alumni Board.  A native of Northern Kentucky, she currently lives in Union, Kentucky with her husband and two sons, ages twelve and ten.

 

CincyIP Involvement: