Myers Bigel Contributes Intellectual Property Expertise to NC Bar Association
Myers Bigel is continuing its longstanding involvement in leadership roles with the North Carolina Bar Association.
Attorney Laura Kelley has been elected to chair the IP Law Section of the organization, while Erin Bobay is co-chairing the BioTech & Chemical Patent Committee, Shawna Lemon is co-chairing the Pro-Bono Committee, and Bob Crouse and Rob Schwartzman are serving as council members.
“Myers Bigel has a long history of active participation with the NC Bar Association, both in terms of providing access to our talented legal team who readily contribute their experience and expertise as members and leaders, and also with regard to our support of the organization’s various programs and continuing legal education,” Managing Partner David Purks said.
The NC Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Law Section examines copyright, patent and trademark law issues, providing information to its members about a vast array of issues related to international property law, sponsoring continuing legal education (CLE) programs and services, roundtable discussions, luncheons, and legal updates while also helping to mold the organization’s legislative agenda for presentation to the North Carolina General Assembly.
Myers Bigel attorneys are dedicated to best practices in patent law, and are active in local, state, and nationwide organizations supporting the legal community which benefit from their diverse backgrounds which include prior real-world industry experience, often with undergraduate and advanced degrees in technical areas.
During her pursuit of a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics, Laura Kelley (Mechanical practice group) she participated in a summer internship at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Lab at Michigan State University and wrote her senior thesis in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy at William and Mary, for which she received highest honors. She is the fourth Myers Bigel attorney to serve as IP Law Section Chair.
Erin Bobay (Biotechnology, Chemical practice groups) received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry and Biology: Biomedical Emphasis, magna cum laude, from the University of Northern Iowa, and a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from North Carolina State University, summa cum laude.
Before becoming an attorney, Bob Crouse (Electronics/Computer practice group) worked as a design engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation and at Polaroid Medical Imaging Systems, working in the area of VAX architecture and imaging systems. He is Past Chair of the NC Bar Association’s IP Law Section.
Shawna Lemon, Ph.D. (Biotechnology, Chemical, Trademark) worked in pharmaceutical market development at Merck & Co., Inc. and has co-authored publications in scientific journals.
Rob Schwartzman (Biotechnology, Chemical practice groups) engaged in doctoral research focused on steroid-induced apoptosis in thymocytes and conducted postdoctoral research at the Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Embryology on the steroid-induced gene expression program during tadpole metamorphosis.
In all, there are six practice groups at Myers Bigel, including Litigation, Trademark, Biotechnology, Chemical, Electronics/Computer and Mechanical. Each of these groups has a critical mass of attorney experience levels and skills to satisfy the largest to the smallest clients, with the firm’s Litigation practice group staffed by litigators who are also patent lawyers.
Founded in 1899, the NC Bar Association is a voluntary statewide organization composed of more than 19,500 lawyers, paralegals and law students. Volunteer service and leadership permeates virtually every aspect of the organization, from four divisions devoted to young lawyers, senior lawyers, paralegals and law students, to 30 practice specialty sections, to the various committees, commissions and task forces.