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Dykema, a leading national law firm, today announced the addition of Jeffrey A. Pine to its Intellectual Property Department as Of Counsel in the firm’s Chicago office. Prior to joining Dykema, Pine was a founding partner of IP boutique firm Valauskas & Pine. Pine focuses his practice on technology-related litigation and licensing matters, with a particular emphasis on patent, trade secret, trademark and copyright disputes. He has extensive experience in counseling and providing intellectual property protection for start-up and established Internet-based companies. He also has a wide technical background, having worked as an engineer at a major defense contractor designing and developing Automated Testing Equipment for complex electronic systems. Prior to founding Valauskas & Pine in 2007, Pine was a founding partner of Baniak, Pine & Gannon. Previously, Pine began his intellectual property career at Brinks, Hofer, Gilson & Lione. Pine is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago, American Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, and Illinois State Bar Association. He received a J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois. Dykema’s attorneys counsel clients on all aspects of the procurement, management, and enforcement of intellectual property rights. The firm’s intellectual property attorneys, including numerous attorneys who are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, prepare, prosecute and enforce patents in a diverse range of industries including automotive, communications, computer, electronics biotechnology, chemical and consumer products.

Retired Judge Kenneth A. Abraham has joined the Oak Brook and Chicago law firm of DiTommaso-Lubin as Of Counsel to head the firm's arbitration and mediation practice group and to act as a litigation consultant to the firm on complex business cases and consumer class action lawsuits. Ken brings to DiTommaso-Lubin nearly 40 years of legal experience, including a decade and half on the bench as a trial judge.

Former ISBA Board of Governors member John Holmstrom Jr. passed away on Tuesday, July 20. Mr. Holmstrom was a a partner at Holmstrom & Kennedy Law Firm in Rockford, and served as a captain in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. Mr. Holmstrom played a key role in the Japanese surrender in the war, encoding the message to the Department of War of the exact time that the surrender was confirmed. Read the full obituary in the Rockford Register Star.

Dale R. Kurth, Chair of the Intellectual Property Section of the Illinois State Bar Association, has joined Partridge IP Law P.C. in downtown Chicago as Of Counsel.  The firm, begun by Mark V.B. Partridge in April, practices in all aspects of trademarks, copyright, IP litigation, licensing, Internet law, and related matters. Dale obtained an LL.M. in IP with honors from John Marshall Law School in 2008, and earned his J.D. from the University of Illinois.  He has also published several articles on IP law in professional publications, including the ISBA IP Section Newsletter, the John Marshall Center for IP Law News Source, and Landslide, published by the American Bar Association’s Section of IP Law.  Before turning to the law, Dale was a systems analyst at Accenture. Partridge IP Law is an IP law firm with a global practice helping businesses, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals recognize, protect, and exploit their brands, content, and ideas in court, online, and in the boardroom.  For more information, visit the firm’s website at www.partridgeiplaw.com.