INDUSTRIAL DESIGN CONSULTANT
DESIGN EXPERT WITNESS l DESIGN PATENT INFRINGEMENT & TRADE DRESS LITIGATION
Formerly a corporate and intellectual property lawyer, I graduated Harvard Law School and later earned a Master's in Industrial Design at Pratt Institute. From toys to complex medical devices, I've spent the past 26 years guiding innovation through strategic product development, and have helped hundreds of clients bridge the elusive gap between creative insight and commercial success.
As design consultant to a broad range of markets and industries, I keep my finger on the pulse of critical trends in consumer electronics, medical devices, transportation, IOT, toys, and a host of other product categories. I bring that foundation of understanding to my work as design expert witness, and it has proven invaluable to developing effective litigation strategies and legal arguments.
Designers think in such a unique way that it’s been coined “Design Thinking,” while legal analysis requires a distinctly analytic perspective. As design expert witness I approach disputes involving the protection of design from both vantage points, and my value to your case is enhanced by the ability to address legal challenges from both a designer’s and a lawyer’s perspective.
The focus of my work includes the design of compelling aesthetic solutions and brands, as well as the development of novel features, functionality, and business models which allow clients to engage user needs and capitalize on profitable market opportunities. I'm named inventor on over 45 US design and utility patents, and serve as Chair of The Industrial Designers Society of America's (IDSA) Design Protection Committee.
Design Strategy | Design Thinking | Product Design | Industrial Design | User Research | Brand Strategy
IP Management | Licensing | Intellectual Property Development, Protection and Monetization
Design expert witness and litigation support relating to: Design Patent Infringement | Trade Dress Infringement | Validity | Article of Manufacture | Functionality | Secondary Meaning | Likelihood of Confusion
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
SPECIALTIES
SELECT CLIENTS
CV
Design Director
Informed Innovation
2018-Present
Los Angeles, CA
Design Strategy | Design Thinking | Product Design | Industrial Design | IP Management | Licensing
Brand Strategy | User Research | Intellectual Property Development, Protection and Monetization
Co-Chair, Design Protection Committee
Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
January 2019-Present
Los Angeles, CA
Associate Professor
ArtCenter College of Design
August 2019-Present
Pasadena, CA
Creative Director
Product Development Technologies
1999-2018
Los Angeles, CA
Board of Directors
Metamason, Inc
2013-Present
Los Angeles, CA
Healthcare focused startup capitalizing on 3D printing technologies to automate the creation of custom-fit medical devices.
Mentor & Advisor
Make in LA
2016-Present
Los Angeles, CA
Provide guidance, from the perspective of product development and design strategy, to startups at Los Angeles' first dedicated hardware accelerator.
Mentor & Advisor
The Design Accelerator
2013 – Present
Pasadena, CA
A partnership among Art Center College of Design, Caltech and Idealab, The Design Accelerator uses proven low-cost management techniques to help design-driven technology startups grow into scalable technology businesses.
Design Director
TwentyTwentyThinking Inc.
1996-1999
Chicago, IL
Senior Designer
Zenith Electronics Corp
1995-1997
Chicago, IL
Designer
Cousins Design
1994-1995
New York, NY
Designer
Henry Dreyfuss Associates
1993-1994
New York, NY
EDUCATION
New York University
BS, Economics l Political Science
1988
Pratt Institute
Master of Industrial and Product Design
1995
Harvard Law School
Juris Doctor, Corporate Law l Intellectual Property
1991
Attorney
Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart PA
1991-1993
West Palm Beach, FL
WHAT I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT LATELY
MORE INSIGHTS
on Patent Litigation and Intellectual Property
MORE INSIGHTS
on Trade Dress and Trademark Litigation
MORE INSIGHTS
on Industrial Design and User Experience
MORE INSIGHTS
on Innovation, Technology and Culture