Dean has a passion for litigating complex intellectual property (IP) cases and protecting IP assets.

He has over twenty-five years’ experience as a litigator including over twenty years as a patent attorney focused on litigating IP disputes.  He also prosecutes patent and trademark applications.

Dean has been lead litigator in patent, trademark and trade secret cases in multiple jurisdictions including U.S. District Courts, the International Trade Commission, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, the Federal Circuit, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, and state courts. He has worked with and successfully defended Fortune 500 companies as well as smaller clients against allegations of wrongdoing. He drafts and prosecutes patent applications relating to software, business methods and mechanical arts. He also prosecutes trademarks including oppositions and cancellations of registrations. Dean litigates domain name disputes and prepares IP agreements including settlement and licensing agreements.  He prepares legal opinions including freedom to practice and invalidity opinions.

Dean was selected as a Michigan 2019 and 2017 “Lawyer of the Year” in Litigation – Patent by The Best Lawyers in America® and as a Michigan 2016 “Lawyer of the Year” in Litigation – Intellectual Property. He is also included in the 2015-2020 edition of Leading Lawyers at ®. Dean has been selected by dbusiness Magazine as a Top Lawyer and as a 2015-2020 IP Star by Managing IP Magazine. He has been awarded Best for Copyright & Trademark Law by Acquisitions International. Dean has an AV (preeminent) rating by Martindale-Hubbell.

Dean brings an entrepreneurial spirit to his work and enjoys sharing in his clients’ successes. He is also committed to keeping open communication with his clients and is readily available to answer his client’s questions while providing outstanding legal services.