Burns & Levinson announced that two veteran patent attorneys – Paul A. Pysher and Christopher S. Schultz – have joined the firm as partners in its Intellectual Property group. Pysher, a highly-regarded patent prosecutor, was previously a partner at Choate, Hall & Stewart. Schultz, a well-known IP litigator, was previously a partner at Finnegan. Together, the new partners bring more than 40 years of combined intellectual property expertise to the firm – adding another level of depth to the Burns’ growing and in-demand IP practice.
Pysher has more than 20 years of experience in patent prosecution. He focuses his practice on prosecution, diligence and opinion work in a wide variety of technologies including electronic circuits, computer hardware and software, network architecture, and medical devices. He has also acted as lead counsel in several inter partes review proceedings. Prior to Choate, Hall & Stewart, Pysher was a principal at Fish & Richardson. Prior to his legal career, Pysher spent several years at General Dynamics Space Systems Division, where he designed electrical interfaces for the Atlas rocket.
Schultz is an IP litigator with over 20 years of experience. He is coming off recent wins at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and for the New England Innocence Project in a noteworthy pro bono matter. As a lead trial attorney, he has successfully litigated matters in federal district court, at the Patent Trial and Appeals Board, at the International Trade Commission, and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. His cases typically involve complex technologies in the semiconductor, computer hardware and software, telecommunications, and medical device areas. Schultz also advises startups and venture-capital backed companies regarding their IP strategies. Before law school, he spent two years as a USPTO patent examiner in the electrical engineering arts. He also served for one year as a full-time intern for the Honorable Randall R. Rader at the Federal Circuit after graduating from law school.