Withers & Keys is happy to announce that Les Bessenger has joined the firm as a partner, effective Oct. 23, 2012. Les comes to Withers & Keys with 18 years of experience in the intellectual property field advising Fortune 500 clients and having worked for the intellectual property boutiques of Jones & Askew in Atlanta and, most recently, Finnegan Henderson in Atlanta & Tokyo. Les has an electrical engineering background and focuses his practice on strategic patent portfolio building & management, opinions, counseling, and third party challenge procedures and proceedings before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, such as third party submissions, reexamination, and reviews.

For those IP attorneys wanting CLE but desiring to stay in the metro Atlanta area, the annaul IP SpringPosium offers 8 hours of CLE over two days of seminars.  Topics included AIA changes and other IP updates at the recent Springposium on April 26-27 at Barnsley Gardens Resort in Adairsville, Georgia. At the event, Les Bessenger was a panelist in a discussion about some practical perspectives on Post-Grant Review and other patent challenge procedures.

Check for upcoming events.