Vorys Adds Experienced Computer and Electrical IP Partners Khaled Shami and Mike Messinger
Vorys announced today that Khaled Shami and Mike Messinger have joined the firm as partners in the intellectual property (IP) group in the Washington, D.C. office. The pair have decades of experience in IP law, serving as both patent examiners and as IP counsel. Prior to joining Vorys, they were co-founders of the law firm Shami Messinger PLLC, which they formed after 20 years in private practice.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Kal and Mike to Vorys. They bring their wealth of experience from the USPTO and decades of helping electrical and computer clients protect their strategic IP assets,” said Carey Jordan, chair of the Vorys technology and IP group. “Their experience in electrical engineering, computer science and technology will further strengthen our practice and round out the counsel we are able to provide to our IP clients across the globe.”
Messinger began his career as a patent examiner in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) handling an active optoelectronic devices and systems docket. As outside counsel, he helps clients harvest innovation, protect products and services, and monetize or defend patent portfolios. Messinger’s technical expertise extends to computer networking, internet, world-wide-web, and java technologies, communications systems and protocols, browsers, geographical information systems, high-speed optical communications, optoelectronics, graphics processing, data mining, voice-over-IP, cryptography and multiprocessor computer architecture. Messinger routinely works with company officers and engineers to identify patentable inventions and build strategic patent portfolios. He has significant experience as lead counsel in complex inter partes review proceedings, reissue and ex parte patent reexamination before the USPTO. In addition, Messinger serves as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches patent licensing.
“Throughout my career I have helped companies use IP in new ways to grow and evolve,” said Messinger. “I’m excited to join the Vorys patent team and use the firm’s resources to continue to develop innovative patent strategies.”
Shami also began his career working as a patent examiner at the USPTO. He went on to spend more than 20 years in Silicon Valley counseling tech companies of all sizes and nationalities in building and monetizing their US and international IP portfolios. From start-ups to large multinational concerns, Shami has closely associated with inventors, engineers and in-house counsel to develop patent incentive programs, harvest inventions, and draft and prosecute patent applications, implementing effective strategies to build strong IP positions in the marketplace. His technical expertise includes computer software and hardware, networking, cloud storage and computing, memory devices, EDA and circuit design, clean energy, battery technology, avionics and aeronautics, electro-optics, imaging, and medical devices.
“Vorys has a well-respected and robust IP practice, particularly in the health care, energy, chemical and life sciences spaces,” said Shami. “By adding our electronics, computer, and physics expertise, we will be able to offer our clients the full-spectrum of IP support.”
The Vorys IP team is made up of more than 25 patent professional who have extensive experience. This team offers clients full service assistance for IP issues, including those related to acquisition, protection, enforcement, and exploitation of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and industrial designs, as well as in unfair competition, trade secrets, computer law, and related matters.
About Vorys: Vorys was established in 1909 and currently has nearly 375 attorneys in eight offices in Ohio, Washington, D.C., Texas, Pennsylvania and California. Vorys currently ranks as one of the 200 largest law firms in the United States according to American Lawyer magazine.
