At Nikolai & Mersereau, we pride ourselves on providing quality service for reasonable costs.  Oftentimes this hard work is rewarded in accolades from our clients and our peers.  This is reflected by our AV rating by Martindale Hubble.  We were also pleased to be mentioned in a ranking of the Top 25 Intellectual Property Law Firms of the Twin Cities Metro Area.  I recently revisited this list to examine where Nikolai & Mersereau would have ranked under different ranking criteria. 

The December 2007 edition of the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal Book of Lists ranked Nikolai & Mersereau as one of the top twenty-five intellectual property law firms in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.  While we were pleased to receive such recognition, our ranking of 19^th was based exclusively on the number of patent lawyers we employ.  If the ranking would have been based on other criteria included in the list, our ranking would have been higher; 5^th in patents applied for, 4^th in patents granted and 2^nd in patents granted per patent attorney.  In picking a law firm, some assume a bigger law firm is better.  A more important criteria should be the range of experience of the attorneys you will actually be working with and the successes they have achieved for their client.

Jim Paige          (612) 392-7310           Jim.Paige@nm-iplaw.com

Jim Harmon, one of the most experienced patent attorneys in the state, has joined Nikolai & Mersereau, P.A.  Jim is a graduate of Carlton College and the William Mitchell College of Law.  He was first admitted to practice in 1961 and worked as a senior patent attorney for The Pillsbury Company from 1964-1978.  Jim has since been in private practice representing a variety of companies and individuals in patent, copyright and trademark matters.

Jim Nikolai                   (612) 392-7302           Jim.Nikolai@nm-iplaw.com

Nikolai & Mersereau proudly announces that  Laurie Young passed the Examination for Registration to Practice Patent Cases before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  Laurie joined the firm last fall after earning a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The George Washington University in 2004 and a J.D. degree from the William Mitchell College of Law in 2007.  Laurie is also admitted to practice before the courts of the State of Minnesota and the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.  Prior to joining the firm, Laurie held positions with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Best Buy, Inc. and AEIOMed, Inc.  She also worked as a research assistant for Professor Kenneth L. Port co-authoring Trademark Law and Policy 2006 Supplement. 

Jim Nikolai       (612) 392-7302           Jim.Nikolai@nm-iplaw.com

Nikolai & Mersereau, P.A. is pleased to announce that it was recently recognized as a “Patriotic Employer” for contributing to national security and protecting liberty and freedom by supporting employee participation in America’s National Guard and Reserve Force.  The award was given by The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.  The award is given to employers “whose goodwill and ongoing support are important to retain highly skilled, dedicated and qualified members of the Guard and Reserve.” 

While we were pleased to receive this award, we are even more proud of the sacrifice and service that our employee, Jim Paige, has been willing to make in the service of our country.  

Jim Nikolai       (612)392-7302                        Jim.Nikolai@nm-iplaw.com

Along with our new website, we’ve created a new blog as a service to our clients.  Check back often where we will comment on a variety of issues and current events pertaining to copyright, patent and trademark issues.