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FIRM OVERVIEW

The attorneys at Flynn Thiel all have science or engineering backgrounds which enables the firm to handle virtually all areas of technology, including:

  • mechanical

  • electro-mechanical

  • electrical/electronics

  • electromagnetics

  • computer sciences

  • software

  • business methods

  • chemical/chemistry

  • pharmaceutical

  • process engineering

  • physics

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Our firm is responsible for hundreds of patents issued every year by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Many of these patent applications we prepare and prosecute on behalf of our clients. Additionally, we are also responsible for filing patent applications in the U.S. that are initially prepared by our foreign clients, which we then prosecute on their behalf. This exposes our attorneys to a wide range of technical fields, enabling them to readily adapt to new and expanding technologies.

MORE THAN 60 YEARS OF PRACTICING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW

Flynn Thiel originated in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the late 1940’s when Attorney Robert Woodhams focused his law practice on intellectual property. In 1955, Mr. Woodhams entered into a partnership with Attorneys Raywood Blanchard and L. Martin Flynn and established our predecessor law firm of Woodhams, Blanchard & Flynn. This law firm had its offices in downtown Kalamazoo and practiced solely intellectual property law.

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In the early 1960’s, the Woodhams, Blanchard & Flynn firm moved into our current building located west of downtown Kalamazoo; close to Western Michigan University and easily accessible to interstate highways serving Kalamazoo.

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Attorneys Dale Thiel, David Boutell and Ronald Tanis all joined the firm in the mid-1960’s and became partners in the firm in 1971. After the retirement of Attorney Robert Woodhams in 1977, the firm was renamed Blanchard, Flynn, Thiel, Boutell & Tanis. Following the retirement of Attorney Raywood Blanchard in 1982, the firm was renamed Flynn, Thiel, Boutell & Tanis, P.C.  Attorney L. Martin Flynn, the remaining original founder, retired in 1991.  Attorney Ronald Tanis retired in 2006. Attorney Dale Thiel changed his status to "Of Counsel" in 2007 and thereafter discontinued active practice in 2012. David Boutell changed his status to "Of Counsel" in 2010 and fully retired in 2018 after having practiced full time with the firm for over 50 years.  The firm is officially named Flynn Thiel, P.C. and currently operates under the assumed name of Flynn Thiel.

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Today’s senior attorneys at Flynn Thiel are Liane Churney (partner since 2001), Eugene Rath III (partner since 2016) and Marcus Dolce (partner since 2016).

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More than 60 years after its founding, Flynn Thiel continues to firmly adhere to its founding principles by prioritizing client service and focusing its law practice to patents, trademarks and other intellectual property matters.

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