Am Law 100 firm Polsinelli has continued the expansion of its New York office and welcomed William (Bill) A. Di Bianca and Jordan T. Riviello as shareholders in the Mechanical Engineering & Medical Devices Patent Prosecution Practice. Additionally, the firm added Kendall K. Gurule, a senior associate, in Polsinelli’s Denver office. Joining Polsinelli from an IP boutique, this team focuses on intellectual property strategy and protection and is particularly experienced in the medical device and high technology industries. Their collective talents provide sophisticated counseling across all areas of intellectual property while drawing on their respective mechanical, biomedical and chemical engineering backgrounds.

“We are thrilled to welcome this team to our practice. They will empower clients with the experienced insights needed to navigate complex competitive landscapes, promoting informed decisions that safeguard their interests and propel them towards success," said Patrick C. Woolley, Chair of Polsinelli’s Intellectual Property Department. “Bill is well known in the IP space, and this team’s ability to capture all aspects of a client’s intellectual property strategy, including establishing and leveraging its portfolios, will be a great asset to our department.”

“Polsinelli is known for its premier medical device practice and for offering a full-service platform nationwide,” said Di Bianca. “I am excited that I will now be able to serve as outside general counsel for my clients and to develop comprehensive legal strategies throughout the various stages of their respective businesses. As a team, we are eager to join one of the largest IP practices in the nation and work closely with our new colleagues around the country to serve the diverse legal needs of our clients.”

Relying on his extensive licensing and due diligence background, Bill Di Bianca emphasizes the importance of strategies to protect and monetize clients’ innovations and trademarks while assessing litigation risk. From investigating a target company, negotiating the deal, and integrating newly acquired assets with the client’s existing business, he counsels clients at each stage of a deal and its potential business impact. From start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, he has crafted procurement and clearance strategies that create advantages for clients in their respective marketplaces. His practice focuses on mechanical, materials and computer science engineering-related inventions covering diverse fields such as medical devices, robotics, semiconductors, aerospace, electronics and consumer products. He also counsels clients in the consumer packaged goods (CPG), kitchen appliance, fitness, health, wellness, beauty, fragrance and fashion industries. Di Bianca also has vast international experience having studied at both Tsinghua University in Beijing, China and Technische Universität Dresden in Germany. He received his B.S. cum laude from Boston University in manufacturing engineering before receiving his J.D. at the University of New Hampshire School of Law.

Jordan Riviello advises clients on complex competitive landscapes and formulates strategies that allow them to penetrate crowded markets while limiting the risks of litigation. He collaborates with clients to understand the advantages of their core products and then develops IP prosecution strategies that carve out market protection and drive business objectives. He continually evaluates the IP assets of his clients to ensure their innovations are properly monetized. He represents an array of clients in the medical device industry, concentrating on orthopedic and cardiovascular devices, and he also has extensive experience with AI-driven robotic systems for automated order fulfillment. Riviello received his B.E. in Biomedical Engineering from Stony Brook University before receiving his J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

Kendall Gurule advises clients in the materials science, chemical, and mechanical sectors and is experienced in obtaining and analyzing patents in areas such as batteries and energy storage devices, cosmetic and dental compositions, medical device fabrics and coatings, semiconductors, polymers, adhesives, and industrial processing equipment and systems. Gurule has also represented clients in IP litigation and post-grant patent challenges, her experience spans from litigation support in pharmaceutical cases to drafting complaints and motions for trademark and unfair competition disputes. She has additional background as both an inventor and a patent searcher, which uniquely positions her to identify relevant issues essential for addressing challenges in the constantly shifting industry. She received her B.S. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Colorado State University before receiving her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.

Polsinelli’s Intellectual Property Department ranks nationally in Tier 1 for Patent Law, Trademark Law and Litigation – Intellectual Property in the 2024 “Best Law Firms^®” list by Best Lawyers^®. As one of the largest IP practices in the nation, Polsinelli has a deep bench of attorneys, patent agents, scientists and other professionals who oversee some of the most complex issues facing technology and high-tech companies, bioscience and life sciences companies, animal science, medical device, pharmaceutical, chemical, software, and business methods.