The Hughes Law Firm - Attorneys at Law

ROBERT B. HUGHES

Background: Bob Hughes graduated from Seattle University in 1955 with a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering, and from the University of Washington Law School in 1958. He was admitted to practice in the State of Washington and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in that same year. He has specialized in intellectual property law since then, spending nine years on the patent staffs of two major U.S. corporations (General Mills in Minneapolis and The Boeing Company in Seattle). He has been in private practice since 1970.

Bob has long been active in the legal community. He is a past president of the Seattle Patent Law Association, past president of the Washington State Patent Law Association, past president of the Washington State Intellectual Property Law Association, and past president of the Whatcom County Bar Association. He has also served on various Washington State Bar committees.

Business book developer: In 1978, Bob developed a concept for a preventive law program for the general business attorney to identity potential legal problems early enough to take remedial action, and also to provide a "legal fitness program" for business clients. In 1979, he signed a contract with Clark Boardman Callaghan and Company to publish the book, and he recruited specialists in various areas of business law to contribute chapters covering a broad spectrum of business activities. He coordinated the project and served as managing editor. The three volume work (now four volumes) was published in 1985 as Legal Compliance Checkups: Business Clients. This is reputed to be the most comprehensive work now in existence on preventive law for business clients.

While Mr. Hughes still limits his practice to Intellectual Property matters, his participation in all aspects of Legal Compliance Checkups has given him a broad perspective of the potential problems in other business areas. It also helps him understand and discuss with general practicing attorneys and their clients legal matters where Intellectual Property issues and general business issues overlap. His broad experience in the business aspects of Intellectual Property law includes licensing, joint ventures in developing and exploiting technology and structuring other business relationships. In most instances, this requires close coordination with the client's general legal counsel. Also, Mr. Hughes maintains contacts with legal specialists in various specialized areas of law to find solutions for some of the more obscure legal problems.

Areas of experience and expertise: A substantial part of the practice includes all aspects of trademark law, U.S. and foreign. The technical areas of the Hughes Law Firm practice include the broad range of mechanical inventions, electrical and electrical magnetic related inventions, industrial processes, etc., ranging from complex high tech systems to very simple and often interesting gadgets and gismos.

In his six years on The Boeing Company patent staff, Bob administered the patent review committee and became familiar with virtually every technology in the aerospace industry. Since leaving Boeing, he has continued as outside counsel for Boeing in such areas as aerodynamics, structures, avionics, manufacturing processes, materials technology, jet engine (subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic), and subsystems of modern aircraft.

In addition, he has done patent work for space vehicles and missiles involving propulsion, guidance and stabilizing systems, cryogenic fluids, waste disposal, solar energy, and other technological fields. He has also handled many electronics projects involving audio amplifiers, speakers, FM and AM systems, electrical power supplies, preamplifiers, and audio enhancement and other devices. He also has experience in pulp and paper technology, pollution control, processing natural resources, etc.

In his three years at General Mills, Bob dealt with food compositions and food processing. He has extensive experience in foreign patent and trademark practice, particularly in European countries and Japan. He has traveled to both Japan and Europe to argue cases before the Japanese and European Patent Offices and he has successfully argued a case before the Board of Appeals of the Japanese Patent Office.

MICHAEL F. HUGHES

Mike Hughes earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Idaho in 1996. He passed the Federal Patent Bar in 1997. In December of 1998 he graduated from The University of Dayton School of Law and passed the winter Washington State Bar in 1999. Mike has worked for his father during that time and has been interning at his firm since 1993. Recently, Mike took an in-house position for a client, Outland Technologies, for a short duration. Mike has been back to work In the Hughes Law Firm in 2003.

Mike has worked extensively with various technologies

In addition to having proficiency in understanding in filing mechanical and electrical applications, Mike has a background in computer programming and has filed computer related patent applications.

MATTHEW JELLETT

Matthew Jellett is a patent attorney with the Hughes Law Firm. Mr. Jellett graduated from Seattle University School of Law with a specialization in intellectual property. Matt counsels new and existing clients on intellectual property to balance their needs and budget.

Matt regularly performs rights clearance searches on patent, trademark and copyright projects. He advises on patentability, non-infringement and due diligence matters. Matt regularly drafts patent applications, trademark applications, and copyright applications. He has advised and performed on intellectual property due diligence for asset purchases as part of mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Jellett also drafts licensing agreements with regard to patent, trademark, and copyright subject matter.

In Law School, Matt served as Secretary, Vice-President, and President of the Seattle University School of Law Intellectual Property Legal Society. He received the Seed IP Founders law scholarship for excellence in intellectual property; Mr. Jellett also received the CALI Award, for excellence in intellectual property auditing coursework. During law school, Mr. Jellett sat for and passed the patent bar.

Matt has contributed articles on intellectual property to the King County Bar Journal Business Section. He has been a frequent speaker and presented on intellectual property to such groups as the Seattle Pacific Electrical Engineering Department, as well as Seattle University School of Law Intellectual Property Legal Society.

Prior to law school, Mr. Jellett was a structural engineer with the consulting design engineering firm of Pickett Kelm and Associates Inc. in Austin, Texas. During his six years with the firm, Mr. Jellett was also a part-time graduate student at the University of Texas in Austin, focusing on a Masters in civil engineering within a structures specialization.

Mr. Jellett holds a Juris Doctor degree from Seattle University Law School, and two Bachelors degrees from Texas Tech University; one a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering with a structures specialization, the second a professionally accredited Bachelors of Architecture degree.