Meet Our Team
Richard Eldredge
Senior Partner, Attorney
Do you have something that needs to be filed yesterday? Do you have any issues with the patent examiner? Richard has worked in this industry for a significant amount of time and is well-versed in its procedures.
Richard, who is both a licensed engineer and an attorney specializing in patent law, is actively involved in all aspects of our work. And even though you might not meet him in person, he is the man who is ultimately responsible for all that happens behind the scenes.
Brandon Leavitt
Managing Partner, Attorney
Brandon Leavitt’s early exposure to the law came in the form of pointless arguments with his peers and family. After briefly considering a career in biochemistry in college, Brandon switched his major to law after realizing he was the dull guy at social gatherings.
Brandon is a (figurative) Eagle Scout who is always happy to share his wisdom with everyone who would listen, but he knows he needs to tone it down when his wife tells him, “don’t you lawyer me.” Brandon’s final meal if he could only eat one thing for the rest of his life would be pizza.
KATE MCKINLEY
Attorney
Kate learned the hard way how much effort and attention are required for breakthrough ideas. Kate validated clinical testing for solid tumor malignancies while working as a medical technologist.
Kate decided to go to law school after learning that attorneys play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of intellectual property for creators.
Audrey Coats
Office Manager
Audrey worked in the Finance Industry for 20 years as a Program Administrator. When corporate down-sizing showed job loss was imminent she decided to combine her love for research and passion for law and pursue her paralegal certificate. However, finding employment in an entirely new field during a pandemic proved difficult.
That led her to take an entry-level position as a legal secretary at the Leavitt & Eldredge Law Firm. She quickly found her groove and within 3 months was promoted to an Office Manager. She takes great pride in helping clients meet their deadlines and celebrates with them when they receive patent grants.
Education:
- Paralegal Certificate 2020 – Tarrant County College, Hurst, TX
- Masters of Business Administration 2012 – Texas A&M University – Commerce, Commerce, TX
- Bachelor of Business Administration 1999 – Texas A&M University – College Station, TX
Reece Leonard
Law Clerk
Reece is the firm’s resident trademark specialist. If you need assistance with a trademark matter, Reece will work with you directly to ensure that your intellectual property needs are met.
Education:
- Juris Doctorate – 2019 – Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Bachelor of Arts – 2016 – Texas A&M University – College Station, Texas
- Major: Political Science & Minor: Film & Honors: Dean’s List
Professional Associations and Memberships:
- Philadelphia Bar Association
- American Bar Association
Colin Platz
Law Clerk
Colin attended St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, TX, for his undergraduate degree. After graduating in 2020, he began attending the University of New Hampshire School of Law, where he is currently studying intellectual property law.
Colin was born and raised in the Texas hill country but claims to be a “New Englander” after 2.5 years in New Hampshire. When he’s not working hard for our clients, he’s outside chasing par or chasing peaks. He loves reading, cooking, and sporting but is usually fast asleep by 9 p.m.
Ben Krehbiel
Patent Engineer
After growing up having frequent spirited debates over various technicalities at the dinner table, Ben continued to hone his analytical skills and eye for detail with a degree in mechanical engineering.
He soon found that his aptitudes and broad sense of curiosity for learning new things were well suited to the patent field.
Education:
- Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering – University of Maryland, College Park (2011)
Ramani Kurupati
Patent Agent
Passionate about science, Ramani pursued masters in Bioengineering. It was in her final semester of college she decided to pursue a career in intellectual property rights because of their importance in protecting inventions. After taking up a law school course in intellectual property rights she went on to work in various pharma and healthcare in-house IP teams. She has profuse experience in leading IP projects right from the inception stage to the marketing stage in the pharma industry.
Along with patent drafting and patent prosecution, she has expertise in performing patent and scientific search and analysis for various disease, drug, and medical device related prior art, invalidation, infringement, patentability, landscape, competitive intelligence, freedom of operation, etc. She has vast experience in FMCG, peptide molecules, vaccines, formulations, medical devices, and therapeutic drugs for the treatment of various diseases like diabetes, hemophilia, and cancer to name a few.
Education:
- Masters in Bioengineering-BITS, Pilani, India
- US Patent Agent (Limited Recognition) (USPTO-800, 028)
- Indian Patent Agent (IN/PA 2071)
Fariya Ahmed
Legal Secretary
I enjoy helping people start a business. My first job after I completed my bachelors was LLC Formation filings which opened the doors to work at this firm where I work with inventors and am a part of their business/entrepreneur journey. I mostly handle patent prosecution which is the examination process after a patent application is filed.
Major responsibilities include preparing documents for patent examiner responses, maintaining USPTO correspondence docket, onboarding new clients, and scheduling.
Education:
- M.B.A., Business, Southern New Hampshire University Graduated: 2018
- B.A., Political Science, University of Texas at Arlington Graduated 2013, Minor: Business
