John Christopher Rozendaal and Michael Joffre Join Sterne Kessler

J.C. Rozendaal (left) and Michael Joffre (right).

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C. is pleased to announce that John Christopher Rozendaal and Michael E. Joffre  have joined the firm as directors. Their arrival bolsters the firm’s patent litigation practice and strengthens the firm’s overall capabilities representing clients in district courts, at the U.S. International Trade Commission, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and other venues throughout the country.

Rozendaal has been tapped to co-chair the firm’s Litigation Group with Byron Pickard, and Joffre will co-chair Sterne Kessler’s Appellate Group with Jon Wright.

“Having worked with J.C. and Mike for the past few years, we have learned that they are excellent lawyers and exceptional people,” said Michael B. Ray, managing director of Sterne Kessler. “Their addition expands our capabilities to serve our clients in the full range of complex IP matters, and they are terrific additions to our team and to our firm leadership.”

The attorneys come to the firm from the highly respected litigation boutique Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel where they developed significant expertise in Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) matters for generic pharmaceutical companies and have become “go to” resources for technology and consumer electronics companies, particularly international companies, as they navigate the U.S. patent system.

“We are thrilled to join a firm with such an extraordinary team of talented lawyers who focus exclusively on IP,” said Joffre. “Sterne Kessler has a proven track record in patent law, especially at the PTAB, and we look forward to the synergies that our combined teams can bring to district court and appellate litigation.”

“I think it’s the common vision we share – providing the highest-quality representation in an efficient way by lawyers who fully understand the clients’ business and the science behind their technologies is what distinguishes us from other firms. We are proud to make Sterne Kessler our new home,” added Rozendaal.

Rozendaal represents clients in complex business and intellectual property litigation, principally in federal court, and he regularly tries patent-infringement cases. He has litigated patents on a wide variety of technologies, including pharmaceuticals, aseptic packaging systems, optical disc drives, medical ultrasound, Voice-over-Internet-Protocol, LCD flat-panel displays, and streaming video technology. He also regularly briefs and argues cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and has represented clients in the U.S. Supreme Court both at the certiorari stage and on the merits.

Rozendaal earned his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, a B.A. and M.A. from Oxford University, and a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. He served as a clerk for Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, U.S. Supreme Court.

Joffre focuses his practice on intellectual property disputes before trial and appellate courts. He has litigated cases involving a variety of technologies and products, including microprocessors, telecommunications networks, mechanical devices, consumer products, and computer software. He has appeared in jurisdictions throughout the country, including Texas, California, Wisconsin, Delaware, the International Trade Commission, the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Joffre, a registered lobbyist, has also counseled companies seeking legislative reform of the patent laws.

Joffre earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School, his Ph.D. in astrophysics from the University of Chicago, and his B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He served as a clerk for Judge William C. Bryson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

About Sterne Kessler

Founded in 1978 and based in Washington, DC, Sterne Kessler is dedicated exclusively to the protection, transfer, and enforcement of intellectual property rights. Our team of attorneys, registered patent agents, students, and technical specialists include some of the country’s most respected practitioners of intellectual property law. Most of our professionals hold an advanced level degree, including more than 50 Ph.D.’s in science or engineering and well over 100 advanced technical degrees — credentials wide and deep enough to fill the faculty of a science oriented university.

Sterne Kessler is a leader at the PTAB, having filed more than 500 America Invents Act proceedings. The firm has represented clients in 448 inter partes reviews (IPRs), 45 covered business method reviews (CBMs), four post grant reviews (PGRs), and three derivation proceedings (DERs). The firm handled over 100 AIA proceedings filed in 2016, a milestone that the firm previously attained in 2014 and 2015.