Emma Burcusel

Steven B Walmsley

Phone

Fax

248-689-4071

Assistant

Diana Castillo
Assistant Ext: 128

Assistant

Lauren Brenier
Assistant Ext: 123

LinkedIn

V Card

Biography

Steven’s vast experience covers almost every aspect of IP matters. He is an experienced automotive engineer, and his technical expertise includes mechanical, electro-mechanical, electrical, and software technologies. He has prepared and prosecuted more than 350 original patent applications for mechanical and electrical devices, business and manufacturing methods, and computer-implemented systems.

Steven’s IP fortes also include negotiating and preparing technology agreements, conducting clearance investigations, and rendering opinions on patent infringement, validity, and novelty. His trademark expertise includes procuring registrations and rendering opinions on availability and registrability. Steven particularly enjoys helping inventors flesh out inventions to add value to patents and assisting clients’ designs around competitor patents. He regularly interviews patent office examiners to facilitate prosecution and has an exceptional record of appeal.

Steven has a Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from the General Motors Institute, now Kettering University. He was named a “Rising Star” by Michigan Super Lawyers® three years in a row.

Credentials

Bar Admissions

State of Texas
State of Michigan
District of Columbia
Commonwealth of Virginia
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
U.S. District Court

Distinctions

Super Lawyers® Rising Star – 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13
Inventor of U.S. Patents: 6,196,682; 6,679,604; 6,857,738

Education

Wayne State University Law School (Juris Doctor, 2001)
Kettering University (Bachelor of Science, Engineering, 1993)
Tau Beta Pi
Scholar, National Society of Professional Engineers

Memberships and Associations

American Intellectual Property Law Association
Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association
State Bar of Michigan, Intellectual Property Law Section

Professional Experience

Associate at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now Wilmer Hale)
Patent agent of VanOphem Meehan & VanOphem
Engineer at Ford Motor Company
Intern at General Motors Corporation

Patents in:
Powertrain controls
Vehicle exteriors, interiors and electronics
Fuel cells
Aerospace equipment
Electric fuel pumps
Nano-technology microscopes and software
Speech recognition and vehicle telematics

Technology Specialties

Mechanical and electrical devices
Business and manufacturing methods
Computer-implemented systems

Publications & Presentations

  • “Best MODE: A Plea to Repair or Sacrifice This Broken Requirement of United States Patent Law,” published in University of Michigan Telecommunications, Technology Law Review, 2003
  • “Patent Law Best Mode: Reports of Its Death Are Greatly Exaggerated,” published in Intellectual Property Today, 2012

Publications/News

Posts Categories
Newsletter February/March 2025
The February/March edition of our newsletter is now available.  Here is a brief glance at what you will find in this edition: “Don’t copy that”,...
Shannon Smith was a featured speaker on Intellectual Property Law
Shannon Smith was a featured speaker on Intellectual Property Law at the Davidson Fellowship for Entrepreneurs in Digital Health, a program sponsored by Henry Ford...
Colin Cicotte traveled to northern California to visit a client...
Colin Cicotte traveled to northern California to visit a client supplying Ultra Low Energy Exploding Foil Initiators (ULEEFI) to the Department of Defense; ULEEFIs provide...