This book was written from the first-hand perspective of one of the leading patent lawyers of the first half of the Twentieth Century. It presents a no-holds barred, unvarnished glimpse ino the transformation of a Nineteenth Century boutique into one of America's major intellectual property law firms. Uniquely, the author's first-hand account spans many decades, all from the perspective of the leader of the firm. Business deals to help American pioneer inventors. A less than scrupulous member of the judiciary seeking employment. Judicial racism decades ago. These time snapshots provide an unparalled glimpse into precisely how the legal profession was transformed since the early part of the last century. This book will be partcularly valued by anyone with a sense of history and a love for the practoice of law.
Charles Miller practiced patent law at Pennie & Edmonds, LLP in midtown Manhattan. Founded in 1883, the firm grew to a total of some 450 people including over 200 practitioners with additional offices in Washington, D.C. and in Palo Alto, California. It was one of America's oldest and largest nation-wide, full-service intellectual/industrial property law firms specializing exclusively in patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and related counseling, litigation, trials and appeals, licensing and technology transfers, high tech corporate start-ups and intellectual property portfolio management.
Born and raised in New York City, Mr. Miller earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1963 from Columbia College, and his M.S. degree and Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1964 and 1966 from Columbia University. He was graduated from New York University School of Law in 1970 with a Juris Doctor degree.
From 1966 to 1971, Mr. Miller worked in the Law Departments of the predecessors of AlliedSignal, Inc. and Hoechst Celanese Corp. where he was involved in patenting the companies' inventions. He has been practicing patent law for the past forty-one years.
Mr. Miller is a member of the New York Bar Association (since 1971) and is admitted in Federal courts including the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (1982) and the Supreme Court of the United States (1980). He has been licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office since 1967.
In addition to being a practicing attorney, Mr. Miller was a commercial/intellectual property arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and has served as a special master in patent infringement litigation on appointment by the United States District Court.
