Press Releases
Experienced IP Attorneys Join Nelson Mullins in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE (May 10, 2011) - An experienced intellectual property partner and senior associate have joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough’s Charlotte office. Partner Lance A. Lawson and associate Chad Thorson bring considerable experience to the Firm in intellectual property litigation, patent preparation and prosecution, clearance and opinionwork, IP portfolio management, and strategic counseling.
Mr. Lawson concentrates his practice on intellectual property, with a focus on patent infringement and other intellectual property litigation, strategic counseling, IP portfolio management, and licensing, as well as commercial disputes involving technology. Mr. Lawson has represented companies in more than 40 intellectual property disputes in federal courts in numerous states, and the International Trade Commission. Mr. Lawson was elected to Business North Carolina magazine’s "Legal Elite" list as one of the top patent attorneys in North Carolina. Mr. Lawson is named in The Best Lawyers in America and has been recognized as a North Carolina Super Lawyer.
Mr. Lawson is a former law clerk to the Honorable Robert D. Potter, Senior United State District Court Judge for the Western District of North Carolina. A licensed professional engineer, Mr. Lawson is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as a number of U.S. District Courts throughout the country. He is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He received his B.S. in civil engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point and his M.S. in environmental engineering from Stanford University. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame in 1996, where he was a member of the Notre Dame Law Review.
Prior to attending law school, Mr. Lawson served nine years on active duty as an engineer officer with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, including commanding a construction unit in Iraq and Saudi Arabia during Operations Desert Shield and Storm.
Mr. Thorson focuses his practice on patent preparation and prosecution and clearance work. He is admitted to practice in North Carolina and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Mr. Thorson has extensive practical and theoretical technical training in mechanical, electrical and nuclear engineering technologies. He was initially trained as an electronics technician to operate and repair radar and communications equipment and later qualified as Engineer Officer onboard a Navy nuclear submarine.
Mr. Thorson earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2005. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, with distinction, from the United States Naval Academy in 1996. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society. Mr. Thorson has also lectured abroad on topics related to effective patent prosecution strategies in China and Taiwan.
Established in 1897, Nelson Mullins has more than 420 attorneys and government relations professionals practicing from 12 office locations in the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia. For more information on the Firm, go to www.nelsonmullins.com, or call 803.255.9794.
