Garvey, Smith, Nehrbass & Doody, L.L.C.

Attorney Profiles

The following is a brief description of the practice and background of each of the Firm's attorneys (all of whom are patent attorneys).

Charles C. Garvey, Jr. has over 35 years experience in intellectual property law. Chuck has developed a well-rounded practice including litigation, prosecution before the Patent and Trademark Office and client consultation on technology related issues. He has acted as lead counsel in several intellectual property law lawsuits, particularly patent suits. His office practice includes preparing technology transfer agreements and providing legal opinions on the state of the art, patentability and other intellectual property issues. Chuck obtained a J.D. and Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering from Louisiana State University and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Louisiana.

Gregory C. Smith has over 30 years experience in intellectual property law as an attorney and lecturer. Greg's practice concentrates on patent and trademark litigation in state and federal courts, and patent and trademark prosecution before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Greg obtained his law degree from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law and a Bachelors degree in Chemistry and English from Louisiana State University. He has lectured in law at St. Mary's Dominican College, where he also served on the Law School Advisory Board.

Seth M. Nehrbass has been actively involved in the prosecution of patent applications since 1982, both as a patent examiner and as a patent attorney. While Seth's technical background is in physics, he has prepared and prosecuted patent applications in a range of technologies including chemistry, mechanical engineering, electronics, medicine and medical devices. Seth also has experience in all phases of intellectual property litigation. He is fluent in French and Spanish and has a working knowledge of Portuguese, Italian and German. Seth obtained a Bachelor of Science degree (summa cum laude) from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and a law degree (cum laude) from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law where he was on Law Review and a member of Moot Court.

Brett A. North has substantial experience in intellectual property litigation and prosecution. In 1988 he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Louisiana State University, graduating summa cum laude and first in his class from the College of Engineering. In his senior year he was selected as the Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Senior for the College of Engineering as well as the Mechanical Engineering College's Outstanding Senior. In 1993 he graduated summa cum laude from the South Texas College of law affiliated with Texas A&M University where he was a member of Law Review and the Order of the Lytae. He is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Vanessa M. D'Souza is a graduate of Tulane Law School where she focused on intellectual property law. During law school, Vanessa was a member of the Tulane Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property and was elected to serve as Editor-in-Chief for Volume 10. She was also a member of the Tulane Inn of Court, Student Bar Association, and served as representative to the American Bar Association. Her work experience includes externships with judges from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeal, and Louisiana 24th Judicial District Court. In 2003, Vanessa received a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and a Business minor from Tulane University.

Julia FitzPatrick Julia FitzPatrick became a patent attorney in 2007. She graduated with High Honors in 2006 from the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law, and she received her undergraduate degree in Genetics (cum laude) from the University of Georgia in 1996. During law school, she was a member of Law Review and focused her legal studies on intellectual property law, receiving awards for the highest grade in her Intellectual Property Survey and Patent Law Courses. Julia also received the Extra Muros Prize for the best Note on international law for her published Note that evaluated intellectual property issues in Third World Countries. While in law school, Julia also interned with the Utah Disability Law Center and volunteered at Utah Legal Services. After receiving her law degree, Julia clerked for a Judge on the Utah Court of Appeals for about two and a half years before returning home to Louisiana. She additionally has experience with litigation as an attorney, a law clerk while in law school, and a paralegal prior to law school. She is currently licensed to practice law in Louisiana and is also registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She remains licensed (though inactive) in Utah.