Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that Lucas A. Peterson and Ryan M. Fitzpatrick have joined the firm as patent attorneys in the Intellectual Property & Technology group, based in the Chicago and Dallas offices, respectively. Their arrivals continue to firm’s strategic expansion of the Intellectual Property group, following the additions of partners Mark D. Passler and Ryan L. Harding in January and patent agent Edwin P. Glaser in March.
Lucas advises clients on patent prosecution, portfolio development, and intellectual property (“IP”) strategies across a wide range of advanced technologies. He has experience preparing and prosecuting U.S. and international patent applications, conducting patentability and freedom-to-operate analyses, and supporting IP litigation involving trademarks, copyrights, and design patents.
Lucas joins Blank Rome from Greer, Burns & Grain, Ltd. He is admitted to practice in Illinois and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). He received his J.D. from Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law, and his B.S. from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Prior to practicing law, Lucas worked as a software and controls engineer on aircraft flight simulators, aerospace and automotive systems, and electric propulsion platforms.
Ryan focuses his practice on patent prosecution and IP strategy, working closely with inventors, engineers, and in-house legal teams to protect innovations in mechanical, electromechanical, and software-related technologies. He also supports district court matters and inter partes review (“IPR”) proceedings, including deposition preparation, claim analysis, product-to-patent comparison, and brief writing for key motions.
Ryan joins the firm from Fish & Richardson and is admitted to practice in Texas, Arizona, and before the USPTO. He received his J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, and his B.S. from Illinois Institute of Technology. Before practicing as an attorney, Ryan worked as a mechanical engineer designing thermal insulation systems for complex piping in nuclear power plants.