Honigman opens Kalamazoo office Jonathan P. O’Brien, Ph.D. and Phillip D. Torrence to lead eight Intellectual Property and Corporate attorneys

Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, a leading business law firm, based in Michigan with an international practice, announces the opening of an office in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The eight attorneys who join Honigman with the opening of the Kalamazoo office, concentrate their practices in the areas of Life Science-Intellectual Property, Venture Capital, Corporate Law and Community Banking.

Jonathan P. O’Brien, Ph.D. joins the firm as a partner in and the chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group of Honigman’s Corporate and Securities Department. Phillip D. Torrence joins Honigman as a partner in its Corporate and Securities Department and as the first managing partner of the Kalamazoo office. O’Brien and Torrence join Honigman from Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C. Six other attorneys are joining Honigman with the opening of the Kalamazoo office.

Jonathan P. O’Brien, Ph.D. is a patent attorney specializing in life science and chemical patent procurement and enforcement. He counsels a wide range of domestic and international clients regarding licensing and world-wide patent procurement strategies and provides opinions related to non-infringement and the validity of patents. O’Brien has drafted and prosecuted numerous patent applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and participated in reexaminations. He received a J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law, a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.S. from Hope College. Before practicing law, O’Brien was a patent agent at a prominent east coast law firm and later at Pfizer.

Phillip D. Torrence practices in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance, with a focus on venture capital and community banking. He represents issuers, investors, banks and investment banks in equity and debt offerings, restructurings and venture capital. Torrence counsels clients in corporate restructuring, executive compensation planning, and other corporate matters, and represents public and private companies in complex transactions involving intellectual property, technology acquisitions, university licenses and the formation of joint ventures. Torrence received a J.D. from the University of Utah and a B.A. from Hope College.

The six other attorneys joining Honigman are: 

• Joscelyn C. Boucher, Corporate and Securities, Kalamazoo office; 
• Noel E. Day, Ph.D., Intellectual Property, Lansing office; 
• Kelly T. Murphy, Intellectual Property, Kalamazoo office; 
• Kathryn D. Soulier, Intellectual Property, Kalamazoo office; 
• Andrew N. Weber, Intellectual Property, Kalamazoo office; 
• Thomas A. Wootton, Intellectual Property, Kalamazoo office.

David Foltyn, chairman and CEO of Honigman, expresses his great pleasure at the arrival of these attorneys. “The Kalamazoo office provides Honigman with an important presence in the Kalamazoo area, and our new attorneys are wonderful additions to our Intellectual Property, Corporate and Securities, and Venture Capital practices, which serve clients both domestically and internationally,” said Foltyn. “They bring new experience to the firm in the growing areas of Life Science-Intellectual Property and Community Banking Law. We are thrilled that this fine team has joined our firm.” Foltyn added, “Western Michigan, and specifically Kalamazoo, is a vital, growing part of the Michigan and national economy—with exciting, thriving industries. Honigman wants to participate in this region, and our new partners play a major role in the area.”