Marshall Gerstein Elects Three New Partners
Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP is pleased to announce the election to partnership of Slava Elkin, Lynn L. Janulis, Ph.D., and Steven M. Parks, Ph.D., effective January 1, 2016, bringing the Firm's partner count to 43.
“We would like to congratulate Slava, Lynn and Steve on their recent addition to the Firm’s partnership,” said managing partner Jeffrey S. Sharp. “They have truly distinguished themselves as exceptional attorneys. Marshall Gerstein celebrates their tireless efforts in providing high quality service to the Firm’s clients.”
Slava Elkin’s legal practice focuses on U.S. and foreign patent prosecution in the areas of electrical and software engineering. Slava has helped clients to develop comprehensive patent portfolios in such areas as digital mapping, process control, wireless communications, network protocols and algorithms, network security, analog circuits, 3D modeling, and e-commerce. Prior to starting his legal career, Slava was a Senior Staff Software Engineer at a telecommunications company, where he developed software for browsing and messaging services on mobile devices as well as call processing software for a switching system. Mr. Elkin earned his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law. He also holds a M.A. in English literature from Northeastern Illinois University and a B.S. in computer engineering from the University of Illinois.
Lynn L. Janulis, Ph.D. concentrates her practice on securing patent rights and providing counsel, including evaluating patentability, patent validity, and freedom to operate in the life science technologies. She handles matters in a wide variety of areas, including: antibodies; diagnostics and pharmaceuticals; genomics and proteomics; growth factors, developmental biology, and cancer biology; immunogenic and vaccine compositions; and therapeutics and physiological treatment of disease. She assists a wide range of biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients, including Fortune 500 companies, start-up companies, and university technology transfer offices, to establish and maintain patent portfolios worldwide. Dr. Janulis serves on the Firm’s Pro Bono Committee and is actively involved in working on pro bono matters with Cabrini Green Legal Aid. She is also an active member of the Chicago Chapter of Women In Bio, where she has served as Chair or Vice Chair of the Membership Committee since its inception and served as the Communications Committee Vice Chair. Dr. Janulis received her J.D. from The John Marshall Law School with a Certificate in Intellectual Property Law. She earned her Ph.D. in molecular and reproductive rndocrinology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Urology at Northwestern University Medical School prior to joining the firm.
Steven M. Parks, Ph.D. focuses his intellectual property practice on preparing and prosecuting patents and providing counsel for a range of clients in the chemical industries. Relevant technical experience includes areas such as chemical and biochemical engineering, chemistry, materials science, and agricultural engineering. Outside the Firm, Dr. Parks participates in community-based inventor networks, providing support and guidance to inventors and entrepreneurs on matters related to intellectual property protection, business planning, marketing, and commercialization. Dr. Parks received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and has been a practicing attorney for more than nine years. He also holds both a B.S. and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Michigan State University. His graduate research was in the area of fluid dynamics, in particular the theoretical and computational modeling of turbulent flows. Prior to law school, he worked as a post-doctoral research associate and was an instructor for undergraduates in chemical engineering. He also worked as an analytical chemist in an environmental laboratory.