WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C., an intellectual property law firm based in Washington, DC, recently announced the election of four new directors - Paul A. Ainsworth, Salvador M. Bezos, Carla Ji-Eun Kim, and Lei Zhou- effective January 1, 2014.



    --  Paul A. Ainsworth is a director in the Litigation Practice Group. He
        represents clients in litigation in a diverse range of technologies and
        has extensive experience representing pharmaceutical industry clients in
        litigation originating under the Hatch-Waxman Act. He began his career
        as a law clerk for the Honorable Sue L. Robinson, United States District
        Judge for the District of Delaware. Mr. Ainsworth has also represented
        several major civil rights organizations during his career, being named
        one of the "best LGBT Lawyers under 40" by the National LGBT Bar
        Association in 2011.  He holds his J.D. from the College of William and
        Mary, as well as a B.A. in Political Science from The George Washington
        University.

    --  Salvador M. Bezos is a director in the Electronics Practice Group. He
        prepares and prosecutes patent applications before the U.S. Patent and
        Trademark Office, and has an extensive technical knowledge of computer
        graphics, networking, databases, and complex computer architectures. Mr.
        Bezos also works in the firm's patent office litigation practice and has
        extensive experience handling both inter partes review and ex partes
        reexamination for patent holders and third party requesters. Before his
        legal career, Mr. Bezos was a software engineer, working on the design
        and implementation of tactical displays for use on United States Navy
        submarines. He is an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University School
        of Law, and serves as the chair of the Technology and Engineering
        Education Advisory Board for Fairfax County Public Schools. Mr. Bezos
        obtained his J.D. from George Mason University on the Intellectual
        Property Specialty Track, and also holds an M.S. in Electrical and
        Computer Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.S. in
        Computer Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
        University.

    --  Carla Ji-Eun Kim is a director in the Biotechnology/Chemical Practice
        Group. She focuses on preparing and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patents
        in the areas of biotechnology, pharmacology and cellular and molecular
        biology, and also prepares patentability, infringement and validity
        opinions for the firm.  Ms. Kim received her J.D cum laude and an M.S.
        in Pharmacology from the University of Minnesota, along with an M.S. in
        Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania and a
        B.A. in Biology from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, where
        she graduated magna cum laude. Her graduate research focused on
        molecular genetic mechanisms of DNA repair in mammalian cancer cells and
        developing an anti-angiogenetic approach to cancer therapy and
        treatment.
    --  Lei Zhou is a director in the firm's Biotechnology/Chemical Practice
        Group. She focuses on the chemical and pharmaceutical issues, and has
        extensive experiencing in offering validity, infringement and
        freedom-to-operate opinions. She has also performed intellectual
        property due diligence investigations and has experience with
        pharmaceutical patent litigation under the Hatch-Waxman act. Before
        beginning her career with Sterne Kessler, Ms. Zhou was a senior research
        chemist and engineer and was the primary inventor of two patents. She
        holds a J.D. from the University of Akron, where she graduated magna cum
        laude, an M.S. in Polymer Chemistry from Wichita State University,
        another M.S. in Polymer Science from East China University of Chemical
        Technology, and a B.S. in Plastic Engineering from Nanjing University of
        Chemical Technology.

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C. - Strategists and Advisors focused on the protection, transfer and enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights. Founded in 1978 and based in Washington, DC, the firm has over 160 patent attorneys, agents and technical specialists representing a broad range of entities including emerging and established companies, venture capital firms, universities and select individuals.

SOURCE Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.