icon on Detroit, Mich., January 9, 2023 – National business law firm, Howard & Howard, has named four new shareholders: Richard Cantor, Dane Lepola, Dennis Merkley, and Marcus Smetka.
“We have great corporate, commercial litigation, and intellectual property practices here. These attorneys represent some of our great up-and-coming talent in these practice areas,” said firm President and CEO Jon Kreucher.
The new shareholders are as follows:
Richard Cantor is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property group, practicing out of the Royal Oak office. His practice focuses on assisting clients to protect, develop, and capitalize on their technology and other intellectual property assets. Richard has extensive experience preparing and prosecuting U.S. and international patent applications in the electrical, computer, and software arts. He has a deep understanding of technologies in an array of industries including medical devices, automotive, and telecommunications. Richard also frequently drafts legal opinions relating to patentability, non-infringement, and invalidity.
Dane Lepola practices with the firm’s Litigation group out of the Royal Oak Office. He represents clients in state and federal court in a variety of business disputes and insurance coverage matters. Dane’s client base primarily focuses in the automotive, travel, and construction and development industries.
Dennis Merkley is a member of the firm’s Business & Corporate group, practicing out of the Peoria, Illinois office. He focuses his practice on advising banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions on regulatory and corporate governance matters. In addition, he advises businesses as outside general counsel as well as on mergers and acquisitions and commercial real estate transactions.
Marcus Smetka is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group, practicing out of the Royal Oak office. His practice focuses on advising individuals and/or businesses in intellectual property matters primarily in the mechanical and electromechanical technology spaces. He has extensive experience preparing and prosecuting U.S. and International patent applications in the technology areas of automotive, agriculture implements, home appliances, and medical devices. He also has experience drafting written opinions relating to patentability, non-infringement, and invalidity of existing patents.
About Howard & Howard
With a history spanning over 150 years, Howard & Howard is a full-service law firm with a national and international practice, providing legal services to businesses and business owners. More than 125 attorneys practice out of offices in Las Vegas; Detroit, Michigan; Illinois (Chicago and Peoria); and Los Angeles, California. For more information, please visit howardandhoward.com.
Kady Volmering
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