Oblon, Spivak Elects One New Member and Elevates Three Attorneys to Senior Associate

For Immediate Release January 5, 2007

Alexandria, Va. – Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C. is pleased to announce that Edwin D. Garlepp  has been elected as a member to the Firm. Additionally, three associates have been elevated to senior associates.

Edwin D. Garlepp practices in the firm's Electrical/Mechanical Practice Group, focusing on all areas of patent law including securing patent protection, drafting legal opinions and enforcing patents. He has technical expertise in semiconductor devices, processes and manufacturing equipment, and is also experienced in a broad array of consumer electronic technologies. Before attending law school, Mr. Garlepp worked on communications and radar equipment for the U.S. Navy, and worked as an Electronics Systems Quality Engineer at Electromagnetic Sciences, Inc. He also served as a Patent Examiner in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where he specialized in redundant power sources and electronic switching systems. Mr. Garlepp received his J.D. from The University of Georgia School of Law. He received his B.S. degree from Southern Illinois University and his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from George Mason University.

New senior associates:

Kurt M. Berger, Ph.D. practices in the firm's Electrical/Mechanical Practice Group and prepares and prosecutes patent applications in the electrical, computer, medical imaging, and bioinformatic arts, and on patent interferences. Prior to joining the firm, he was an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Ohio State University. Dr. Berger received his J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, with a specialization in computational fluid dynamics, from the University of Wisconsin, where his research was supported by the National Science Foundation. He received a M.S. in Systems Engineering, a B.S. in Computer Engineering, and a B.A. in Economics, summa cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University.

Stefan Uwe Koschmieder, Ph.D. practices in the firm's Chemical Practice Group. Prior to joining the firm, Dr. Koschmieder worked for several years in the chemical industry. He has published over 40 technical papers in his field. Dr. Koschmieder received his J.D. degree from George Washington University Law School. After receiving his Ph.D. in Chemistry from The University of Texas, Dr. Koschmieder held a post-doctoral fellowship at Imperial College in London England with Nobel Laureate Prof. Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson. He also has an MBA from the University of Houston.

Vincent K. Shier, Ph.D. focuses his practice on chemical and biotechnology patent prosecution in the firm's Chemical Practice Group. Dr. Shier received his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School. He received his Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University. He received his B.A. degree from the University of Rochester, with a double major in biology and chemistry.