Professionals

Janice is the managing partner of Symbus. She worked at traditional law firms before founding Symbus in 2000. She has secured hundreds of trademarks and has successfully prosecuted many adversary proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She continues this work for a small number of clients and spends time implementing a new and evolving platform to streamline the virtual practice at Symbus.

Something Personal: Janice lives on a small farm with her husband and Irish terrier, where a dozen varieties of garlic are grown.

Bar Memberships: District of Columbia.

Education: BA, Kent State University; JD,S.Texas College of Law. Certificate, Mediating Disputes, Harvard Law School, Program on Negotiation.

Steve has practiced entertainment law for 15 years, working across film, television, radio, music, and podcast, while teaching copyright law as an adjunct professor. He’s also a successful media executive, serving in senior leadership positions in the content and advertising spaces for over 30 years. He consults large and small businesses across most major verticals regarding intellectual property issues, brand initiation and development.

Something Personal: A native of Louisiana, Steve is a fan of a broad array of sports (from college football to Australia’s National Rugby League) and music (from classic rock to country to hip hop).

Bar Memberships: California

Education: B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, Political Science; LL.M., Entertainment & Media Law, Southwestern Law School; J.D., Concord Law School @ Purdue University Global.

Lisa is a Canadian trademark and corporate attorney. She lends her expertise to clients expanding their brands and marketing presence into Canada, including the formation of Canadian subsidiary corporations. She has secured hundreds of trademark registrations in Canada and has effectuated conflict resolution through administrative proceedings and negotiation.

 

 

Something Personal: Lisa is an avid mountain biking and climbing enthusiast and sports fan. She has been happily married to a litigator for many years.

Bar Memberships: Law Society of Upper Canada, Canadian Bar Association

Education: LLB Osgoode Hall Law School (Toronto, ON); LLM (Intellectual Property Law),Osgoode Hall Law School (Toronto, ON).

Mike spent 31 years as in-house counsel protecting the intellectual property of Deere & Company, a Fortune 200 corporation. He led the department responsible for securing patent and trademark rights and asserted those rights against infringers across the globe. Mike currently provides legal advice to start-ups to protect their brands. He also is an experienced mediator, helping entities resolve legal conflicts without burdensome litigation.

Something Personal: Mike enjoys golfing with his five sons.

Bar Memberships: Illinois

Education: BS, Civil Engineering, Marquette University; JD, Northern Illinois University; MBA, St. Ambrose University.

Tim has been practicing franchise law for over 30 years. He spent many years in-house for national brands such as CENTURY 21 and JACK IN THE BOX. He now represents start-up franchisors in the restaurant, retail and fitness industries, as well as established distributors and national brokerage chains.

Stephen is a trademark attorney who has significant experience in all aspects of trademark law, including clearance, prosecution, and enforcement. He has worked with hundreds of businesses with a trademark portfolio consisting of both U.S. and international marks. He advises on the selection, use, registration, enforcement, and licensing of trademarks with the ultimate goal of providing clients fierce protection of their intellectual property.

Something Personal: Stephen is a passionate bikepacker and snowboarder who is always ready for an outdoor adventure. He is currently trying to accomplish the Seven Summits (climbing the tallest mountain on every continent).

Bar Memberships: District of Columbia

Education: BA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; JD, University of Miami School of Law

Evan is a partner at Symbus. He focuses his practice on strategic trademark prosecution and counseling designed to put clients in the best position to protect and enforce their IP rights to meet their business goals and prevail in litigation. Evan has broad experience in all aspects of trademark prosecution, including domestic and foreign trademark clearance, portfolio management, licensing, and audits.

Something Personal: Evan was born in Detroit, and his outside interests include sports of all kinds, cooking, and alternative music.

Bar Memberships: District of Columbia, California.

Education: B.G.S., University of Michigan, History and Political Science; M.A., University of Michigan, History; J.D., George Washington University Law School.

Craig’s practice focuses on patents and trademarks. He has a physics degree, engineering degree, and an MBA with decades of business experience. Craig uses this wide range of knowledge and experience to determine the most important aspects of a client’s brand that translates into IP rights and commercial value. Craig implements these strategies by securing high quality patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and protecting them from infringers.

Something Personal: Craig grew up in New Jersey and moved to Northern California in 1999 where he is married and raising three kids with his wife.

Bar Memberships: California, District of Columbia, United States Patent and Trademark Office

Education: B.S., Lehigh University, Engineering Physics; M.S. Aerospace Sciences and Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester; M.B.A., Management Information Systems Concentration, California State University, Sacramento; J.D., Intellectual Property Concentration, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law

Tami has 15 years of experience with trademarks, including well-known consumer brands. She has vast experience in assisting attorneys with trademark clearance, prosecution, domestic and international filings, and proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Something Personal: Tami is married, has two dogs, loves to run and walk along the beach.

With over a decade of experience in the workforce management arena, Ben is known as the "Excel Genie" to his colleagues and friends.  Ben prides himself on tackling even the hardest data sets and focuses on giving his clients an effortless way to deal with data. 

Something Personal: Ben enjoys camping with his wife and toddler daughter. His hobbies include painting, hiking and cooking.

Lindsay Harris has 20 years of legal experience, graduating with her Paralegal Associates Degree in 2002. Lindsay brings her considerable skills and expertise to our team by providing comprehensive support to the attorneys.

Something Personal: A native of Metro-Detroit, Lindsay enjoys taking walks with her energetic puppy, reading, and playing board games with friends and family. When she's not working, she and her husband volunteer in the community and abroad helping those in need. In the last five years, Lindsay has enjoyed traveling to New York, Florida, Texas, Kenya, and Sri Lanka volunteering on construction and disaster relief projects.