Cleland named a 'Top Lawyer'

James Cleland, a shareholder in the Ann Arbor office of Brinks Gilson & Lione, was named a 2017 Top Lawyer by DBusiness Magazine.

Cleland closely followed the progress of the Defend Trade Secrets Act, which became law in April 2016, and  looked at the impact of the act on Michigan businesses. His practice focuses on patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and unfair competition litigation in a broad range of technologies including the chemical, automotive, materials science, mechanical, electrical and medical device arts, as well as in client counseling, opinion and licensing work in those same areas.

His litigation experience includes trials, preliminary injunction hearings, Markman hearings, summary judgment proceedings and all aspects of fact and expert witness discovery, spanning federal courts across the country.

He also focuses on post-grant review proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, a forum that is quickly becoming the busiest patent court in the country. He is a member of the Legal Task Force of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA).