HT Than
Principal

Professional Background
Before starting the law group in June 2000, Mr. Than gained seven and a half years of experience with sophisticated patent prosecution and litigation matters while working at the prestigious intellectual property law firms of Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro LLP in Washington, D.C. and Pennie & Edmonds LLP in both New York and Washington, D.C.

Bar Admissions
Mr. Than is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. He is also admitted to practice in Washington, D.C., and in New York.

Professional Success
Mr. Than has successfully prosecuted patents both for large multinational corporations and individual inventors. In the United States, he has filed successful patent applications on technologies such as consumer products, office equipment, mechanical arts, medical equipment and devices, and electronics components. He has filed hundreds of patent applications in numerous foreign patent offices, and has advised clients where to concentrate their foreign filings to maximize the legal protection for their budgets. At least two of the patents that he drafted are earning royalties for his clients. In the courtroom, Mr. Than has won judgments for his clients, both by enforcing their patents and defending them against charges of infringing others' patents. Mr. Than’s litigation experience has taught him the techniques necessary to craft an enforceable patent. In addition, he has gained experience from both litigation and patent prosecution to better counsel clients on patent issues during new product development, helping them to avoid costly mistakes.

Mr. Than also has expertise in drafting and negotiating agreements for his clients including settlement agreements, multinational joint development agreements, licensing agreements, employment agreements and confidential non-disclosure agreements. He has also assisted his clients in development business strategies that maximize their patent portfolios.

Educational Background
Mr. Than graduated from Boston University School of Law in 1993. He received a Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University in 1987. His Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering is from Boston University, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1985.

Industry Experience
Before entering law school, Mr. Than worked for Exxon Corporation as a senior project engineer. His work included optimizing oil and gas production from fields located in the southeastern United States, providing engineering and economic justifications for drilling new wells and repairing existing deep wells. While pursuing his graduate degree, he taught classes in thermodynamics, ordinary differential equations and mechanical engineering laboratories, as well as computer programming.

Padma Shah, Esq.
Associate

Professional Background
Before joining the law group, Mr. Shah was an attorney at Arent Fox PLLC and Keil & Weinkauf in Washington, DC.

Bar Admissions
Mr. Shah is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He is also admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and New York.

Professional Success
Mr. Shah has solid experience prosecuting patent applications, principally in the chemical and biotechnology arts. Mr. Shah also rendered legal opinions concerning the patentability of inventions and patent infringement. In addition to his patent experience, Mr. Shah has acquired an extensive background in regulatory law, including regulatory due diligence, business licensing, and advocacy of state and federal policy.

Mr. Shah is also active with professional and civic organizations. He serves on the Board of the South Asian Bar Association of Washington, DC. Additionally, Mr. Shah is an active volunteer with the South Asian American Leader of Tomorrow (SAALT).

Educational Background
Mr. Shah graduated from the George Mason University Law School in 2003. Prior to attending law school, he attended Georgetown University from which he received a Master of Science degree in Physiology in 2000 and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology & Government in 1998. During law school, he was a research assistant to then-Professor Kimberly Moore, who is now a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Industry Experience
Before attending graduate school, Mr. Shah assisted with research on breast cancer pathology at the Lombardi Cancer Center. While an undergraduate, he conducted research on the immune response to malaria at Georgetown University.

Sarah Grabenstein
Legal Assistant/Paralegal

Professional Background
Ms. Grabenstein is a graduate of the University of Maryland where she earned a bachelor's degree in environmental science and policy. She is the winner of the 2005 University of Maryland Professional Writing Program Technical Writing Contest. Prior to joining the law group, Ms. Grabenstein worked at the United States Department of Agriculture for two years as an intern in the Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program. She wrote articles for the Natural Resource Conservation Service website, proof-read manuscripts and maintained office databases.

Kim Quyen Pham
Director

Educational Background
Ms. Pham received her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Boston University in May 1991. She also matriculated at the University of Maryland and the College of Financial Planning and attended classes in financial accounting, investment, insurance and financial planning.

Professional Background
Before joining the law group, Ms. Pham worked as a Technical Recruiter at New Boston Associates Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts.

Nathan Wood
Legal Assistant/Paralegal

Professional Background
Mr. Wood is a graduate of the University of Michigan, having completed a dual degree in History and Anthropology with High Distinction. As a four-year student-athlete at Michigan, Mr. Wood represented the Wolverines on the water as a member of the rowing team, in the community as a two-term team president, and in the classroom as a member of the Honors College.