ATTORNEYS

Churney

Liane L. Churney

Shareholder

Phone: (269) 381-1156 ext 209
Fax: (269) 381-5465
liane.churney@flynnthiel.com

Liane grew up in Pennsylvania and at a young age began working in the restaurant industry, which was a family tradition. This early work experience, which continued throughout college and law school, provided Liane with valuable skills in both customer service and management, which she utilizes in client relations and management of the daily operations of Flynn Thiel.

Following law school, Liane began her career in intellectual property law in 1993 at a small law firm in western Pennsylvania with a primary focus on filing and prosecuting patent and trademark applications originating from outside the U.S., such patent applications belonging to the chemical, mechanical and electrical technologies. Liane joined Flynn Thiel in 1997 and there continued with filing and prosecuting foreign-origin patent and trademark applications. Liane has experienced and achieved favorable outcomes in a variety of challenging situations which can arise in this type of patent prosecution, for example, due to varying disclosure requirements between the U.S. and other countries and the often perplexing situations which can result from technical translations. After 30 years of prosecution, Liane is very familiar with handling, and ultimately solving, the unique issues which present themselves in such applications.

Liane also has extensive experience in the preparation and prosecution of patent and trademark applications on behalf of U.S. clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small companies and individuals, conducting patent investigations and opinion preparation pertaining to patentability, infringement and invalidity, and also in trademark/service mark selection, registration and enforcement.

When not working, Liane spends her time gardening, cooking, paddleboarding and riding her ONEWHEEL®.

Education:

B.A. in Chemistry, Washington and Jefferson College
Juris Doctorate, Dickinson School of Law

Licenses/Memberships:

State Bar of Michigan
Registered Attorney - U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Federal District Court, Western District of Michigan
American Intellectual Property Law Association

Rath

Eugene J. Rath III

Shareholder

Phone: (269) 381-1156 ext 205
Fax: (269) 381-5465
gene.rath@flynnthiel.com

Gene’s real passion is music, and his parents sparked his interest at a young age by sharing with him 8-tracks and 45s and from their high school days featuring the Beatles and the Beach Boys, and lesser known acts like the Trashmen, to name a few. In addition to exploring a wide variety of musical genres, Gene spent his early days helping his parents with their motel business which instilled in him a work ethic and an ideal of how to interact and treat others. While running the switchboard at the motel, Gene enjoyed movies about Jan and Dean and Buddy Holly, but eventually punk rock and new wave became his obsession as a teenager. He still enjoys collecting records and listening to a wide variety of music genres including punk rock, and loves going to see music artists perform live. Gene also spends his spare time with his children and traveling. A recent vacation was spent visiting Iceland to attend the Iceland Airwaves Festival, which showcases Icelandic musicians.

Gene’s love of things off the beaten path gave him a deep appreciation for ideas and innovation, and these traits eventually lead him to become an intellectual property attorney. Prior to joining Flynn Thiel in 2009, Gene’s practice focused primarily on patent and trademark litigation in federal courts, the International Trade Commission, and state courts. This experience gives Gene valuable perspective, especially in risk analysis and risk management. After practicing patent and trademark law for 25 years, Gene has extensive experience in patent validity and infringement opinions, worldwide trademark branding strategies, and trademark clearance and protection including in opposition and cancellation proceedings. He also has extensive experience preparing and prosecuting patent applications, both domestic and foreign, primarily in the mechanical arts.

Education:

B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Iowa State University
Juris Doctorate, Drake University

Licenses/Memberships:

State Bar of Michigan
Registered Attorney – U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Federal District Court, Western District of Michigan
Federal District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
American Intellectual Property Law Association

Dolce

It is safe to say that the life of Marcus Dolce revolves primarily around hockey. Marcus began playing hockey at age five and continued playing throughout his school years, which eventually lead to participation in various men’s hockey leagues (otherwise known as “beer league”) until his three children became interested in the sport. At that defining moment, Marcus knew that his personal love of all things hockey would thereafter be experienced vicariously through his children. Marcus now spends much of his time coaching his sons and daughter, and finds that coaching young people adds valuable perspective to his love of the sport. Men’s professional soccer is also an interest, and Marcus recently visited Germany to attend a Borussia Dortmund match in Dortmund with a long-time friend. Marcus also spends time hiking the North Country Trail, watching the Detroit Red Wings and Leicester City Foxes and exploring his wide-ranging musical, film and reading interests.

Marcus grew up in West Michigan and began his work career as a paper boy at the Grand Rapids Press and as a manager at a local mini-golf/batting cages. However, neither these previous work experiences, nor any that came after, could surpass Marcus’s summer employment at Keebler as a Keebler Elf. As a Keebler Elf, Marcus’s job descriptions included “Pie Inspector”, only to be topped by (no pun intended) the extremely noteworthy title of “Frosting Shoveler”.

Marcus attended Michigan State University to study mechanical engineering, and thereafter travelled to Boston to study law with a concentration in intellectual property. Following law school, Marcus joined the ranks of patent examiners at the United States Patent and Trademark Office in order to better understand the requirements for obtaining patents in the United States, and examined patent applications in technologies ranging from greeting cards to jet engines. With a desire to return to his home state, Marcus moved back to West Michigan to a law firm in Grand Rapids before finding his permanent home at Flynn Thiel.

In total, Marcus has over 20 years of experience in preparing and prosecuting patent applications in both the U.S. and foreign countries in many technologies, including vehicle control systems, wastewater management, cardiac devices and methods relating thereto, surgical instrumentation, surgical lighting and operating room control systems and household appliances. The valuable experience Marcus gained as a patent examiner and thereafter provided him with the ability to quickly understand the important aspects of an invention and to know what examiners want, which results in smooth and expedited prosecution. Marcus additionally has extensive experience in patent investigations, patentability, infringement and invalidity opinions, and trademark clearance, prosecution and enforcement.

Education:

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University
Juris Doctorate, Boston University

Licenses/Memberships:

State Bar of Michigan
Registered Attorney – U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Federal District Court, Western District of Michigan
American Intellectual Property Law Association

Marcus P. Dolce

Shareholder

Phone: (269) 381-1156 ext 207
Fax: (269) 381-5465
marcus.dolce@flynnthiel.com

Chapman

Terryence F. Chapman

Of Counsel

Phone: (269) 381-1156
Fax: (269) 381-5465
terry.chapman@flynnthiel.com

Terry worked as a process engineer in both chemical and plastic production facilities and in an industrial waste treatment facility before practicing law. He worked as a patent examiner in the field of electrochemistry at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for approximately five years. At the time he left the Patent and Trademark Office, he was a primary (patent) examiner. Terry also has had electronics and biotechnology training from the Patent and Trademark Office and the National Institutes of Health. Terry’s practice includes securing patents for clients for inventions that relate to electrochemistry, inorganic and organic chemistry, ceramics, biotechnology, chemical processes, electronics and metallurgy. He joined the firm in 1987.

Education:

B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Wayne State University
Juris Doctorate, Wayne State University

Licenses/Memberships:

State Bar of Michigan
Registered Attorney - U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Federal District Court, Western District of Michigan
American Intellectual Property Law Association

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