Suffern, N.Y., December 3, 2009 − General Patent Corporation (GPC), a leading patent licensing and enforcement firm, announced today that two veterans of the company – Paul J. Lerner, General Patent’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel, and Kathlene P. Ingham, the company’s Director of Licensing – both mark ten years with the company this month.
“We are very grateful to Paul and Kathy for their dedicated service to our company and our clients over the last decade,” said Alexander Poltorak, GPC’s founder and CEO. “During this past decade, General Patent has grown into a premier intellectual property boutique well-known around the world. Paul and Kathy have both been critical to the company’s success. We look forward to their leadership role in our company for years to come.”
As the company’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Paul Lerner heads the Legal Department of General Patent Corporation. Mr. Lerner and his staff are responsible for analyzing and managing the enforcement of patents held by GPC’s clients – the patent owners. Paul Lerner is a member of the Board of Directors of General Patent and its Executive Committee. Prior to joining GPC in December of 1999, Paul Lerner led the IP law departments at Olin Corporation, Black & Decker Corporation, and Asea Brown Boveri, Inc. He holds a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University, an MBA from Loyola University, and a law degree from DePaul University. Mr. Lerner also did post-graduate legal studies at John Marshall College of Law.
“General Patent has enabled me to use a broad range of my skills and formal training,” observed Paul Lerner about his tenure at the company. “In addition to my legal experience and training, I apply my training in engineering when I analyze a patent, and I use my business training in licensing and settlement negotiations.”
As Director of Licensing, Kathlene Ingham has negotiated over 100 license agreements for General Patent clients. She joined the company in November of 1999 and rose through the ranks to become the Director of Licensing. Ms. Ingham held management and consulting positions in the legal profession and hotel industry before joining GPC. She holds a BA in Humanities from Pace University, and she completed two years of graduate study in Clinical Psychology at Pace University.
“It’s been wonderful to watch this business blossom over the last ten years,” said Kathlene Ingham about her ten years at General Patent. “By far the best part of my job has been seeing patent owners receive the compensation they so richly deserve. It is such a pleasure working with these creative geniuses.”