Leon R. Yankwich Leon Yankwich formed the firm of Yankwich & Associates in 1997 to meet the particular needs of Cambridge-based and Boston area biotechnology clients. The firm's philosophy of maintaining close contact with the intellectual property operations of its clients and offering highly efficient and expert service has caused the firm to grow rapidly, so that it now serves not only Eastern Seaboard companies but also biotechnology and chemical clients in Europe and the Mid-West. Before founding Yankwich & Associates, Mr. Yankwich was of counsel to Banner & Witcoff (Washington-Chicago-Boston), where he started and headed a biotechnology practice group for the firm's Boston office. His practice focused on providing prosecution, counseling and licensing services to biotechnology clients. Mr. Yankwich's group enhanced the biotechnology practice capabilities of that firm’s Boston office to complement the similar practice groups established in the Chicago and Washington offices. Mr. Yankwich began his legal career in private practice in New York City, and after twelve years of practice there he moved to the Boston area to assume an in-house patent counsel position. Mr. Yankwich gained what he considers invaluable in-house experience serving as the first Patent Counsel for Biogen, Inc. (Cambridge, now Biogen Idec) and later as Chief Patent Counsel for ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corporation (Waltham, Massachusetts). Mr. Yankwich earned a double Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences and Psychology from Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana) in 1976, and a Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School (New York) in 1979. He is admitted to practice before the New York and Massachusetts state courts, the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mr. Yankwich is also registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and he is a member of the American Bar Association and the American Intellectual Property Law Association. Outline of Professional Career - Leon R. Yankwich 1976 graduated from Indiana University (Bloomington, IN) 1979 graduated from New York Law School (New York, NY) 1980 Cravath, Swain & Moore (New York, NY) -- contract attorney 1981 Morgan & Finnegan (New York, NY) -- associate 1983 Hedman, Gibson & Costigan (New York, NY) -- associate 1988 Fish & Neave (New York, NY) -- associate 1991 Biogen, Inc. (Cambridge, MA) -- Patent Counsel 1994 ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corp. (Waltham, MA) -- Chief Patent Counsel 1995 Allegretti & Witcoff (later Banner & Witcoff) (Boston, MA) -- Of Counsel 1997 Yankwich & Associates (Cambridge, MA) -- founder David G. O'Brien Mr. O'Brien's practice focuses on prosecution and couseling in the areas of biotechnology and biochemistry. Immediately prior to joining Yankwich & Associates, Mr. O'Brien acted as the patent coordinator for Cytomed, a Cambridge, Massachusetts biotechnology company. Mr. O’Brien graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1984 with a B.A. in Biology and received a Master of Science in molecular biology from the Laboratory of Maize Genetics at the University of Rhode Island in 1991. He has worked as a scientist in cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and in kidney disease research at Massachusetts General Hospital. Mr. O'Brien received his Juris Doctor from Franklin Pierce Law Center in 1997, where he focused his studies in Intellectual Property law. He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and is a member of the American Bar Association, the Boston Bar Association, and the American Intellectual Property Law Association. Thomas R. Berka, PH.D. Dr. Berka's practice focuses on prosecution and couseling in the areas of biotechnology and immunology. Before joining Yankwich & Associates in 1999, Dr. Berka was patent counsel to the Boston-based biotechnology company, Creative Biomolecules. Dr. Berka has also served as an attorney in the Boston office of Banner & Witcoff, as an associate attorney at the Atlanta law firm of Kilpatrick & Cody, and as a technical specialist in the New York intellectual property law firm of Fish & Neave. Dr. Berka received his Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School in May 1993, where he graduated cum laude. Dr. Berka earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in microbiology and his Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology with high distinction from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Prior to attending law school, Dr. Berka worked as a molecular biologist in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the SmithKline & French Laboratories and as a staff molecular biologist for the United States Department of Agriculture. Dr. Berka is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the Boston Patent Law Association. Dr. Berka is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and is admitted to practice in Georgia and in Massachusetts. Michael R. Wesolowski Mr. Wesolowski’s practice focuses on patent prosecution and counseling in the areas of biotechnology and biochemistry. Before joining Yankwich & Associates, Mr. Wesolowski gained valuable patent prosecution experience with the Intellectual Property division of Duane, Morris & Heckscherr (Philadelphia) and acted as in-house patent advisor to Lyophilization Services of New England (Manchester, NH). Mr. Wesolowski graduated from Boston College in 1996 with a B.S. in Biochemistry. He has worked as a chemist in the immunoassay divisions of Chiron Diagnostics (Walpole, MA) and Biosite Diagnostics (San Diego, CA) particularly focusing on thyroid and cardiovascular marker assays. Mr. Wesolowski received his Juris Doctor from Franklin Pierce Law Center in 2002, where he concentrated in Intellectual Property law. He is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and is admitted to practice in Massachusetts.