An Arizona Law Firm with offices in Phoenix and Tucson. DeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy, P.C. represents individuals, businesses and public entities in a wide range of legal matters.
I practice both commercial and intellectual property law (IP).
My work in commercial law focuses on startups. I work with established businesses too. I try to help entrepreneurs turn good ideas into self-sustaining businesses.
IP helps give a business its competitive edge. IP can be a food recipe, a new strain of crop seed, the shape of a wine bottle, the layout of a retail store – think Apple – or a special formula of livestock feed. IP is definitely not just for high-tech businesses though I represent them too.
I am a registered patent attorney but I do much more than write patents. I work in concert with my clients to create value. I advise them on how best to match their long-term goals with the realities of the marketplace. My goal for my clients is to keep them in the marketplace and out of the courts.
Social justice matters to me. I devote a significant amount of pro bono time to these issues, most recently on behalf of victims of domestic abuse.
My interests are books, indigenous woven art from the Southwest, especially Navajo blankets, and from the Northeast, especially Wabanaki baskets. I am an avid cyclist and hiker.
Distinctions (selected)
Harvard University Frederick Sheldon Fellow
Guggenheim Fellow
Former Professor of Honors and Interdisciplinary Studies, Syracuse University
Tyler McFarland v. Malinda McFarland, Case LEWDC-PA-2019- 472 (Maine District Court, Androscoggin County), See Order of Dismissal with Prejudice, September 13, 2019.
Emseal Joint Systems, Ltd, v. MM Systems Corp., Case 2018-1982 (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit). Lead counsel for Appellee MM Systems. See Order of Dismissal, Doc. 48, February 26, 2019.
Emseal Joint Systems, Ltd, v. MM Systems Corp., Case 1:14-cv-14706-RWZ (D. Mass.). Lead counsel for Defendant MM Systems. See Judgment of Non-Infringement, Doc. 163, April 18, 2018.
Clim-A-Tech Industries Inc. v. Wm. A. Ebert and Sunwest Supply Co., Case No. 2:15-cv-00873-GMS (D. Ariz.). Lead counsel for Bill Ebert and Sunwest Supply Co. See Claim Construction Order, Doc. 109, March 7, 2018.
Clim-A-Tech Industries, Inc. v. Wm. A. Ebert, Case IPR2017-01863 (U.S. Patent Office, Patent Trial and Appeal Board). Lead counsel for Bill Ebert. See Decision Denying Institution of Inter Partes Review, Paper 13, February 12, 2018.
Hammelman Wines LLC dba Sand-Reckoner Vineyards v. Aridus Wine Company, Case No. cv201500026 (Superior Court of Arizona, Cochise County) and Aridus Wine Company LLC v. Robert Hammelman, Case No. cv 2015-003926 (Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County). Lead counsel for Sand-Reckoner Vineyards and Rob Hammelman.
Intellectual Property for Startups. McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship, Eller College of Management, University of Arizona, April 2020
Client Management: What to Do When the Client Asks You to Cross Ethical Boundaries, Maine Community Law Center. October 25, 2019
Marketplace Distinction: Trademark Law, Branding and Standing Out, Seminar on Brewery and Distillery Law, National Business Institute. February 2017
Business Planning for Startups, University of Arizona College of Law. Spring semesters 2015, 2016, 2017
State Bar of Arizona, Business Section, Who Owns the IP? The Boss Who Paid for It or the Employee or Contractor Who Created It? November 2016
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Cultural Explorations Program, Guest Speaker: Southwestern Tapestries. June 2016
State Bar of Arizona, Business Section, The Reasonable Businessperson’s Response to Trademark and Patent Notice and Infringement Letters. March 2016
Protecting Your Investment: Branding and Brand Identity, Trademarks and Copyright Law, Seminar on Vineyard and Winery Law, National Business Institute. February 2016
State Bar of Arizona, Course on Professionalism and Ethics (with Steven L. Bossé): Attorney-Client Relations. October 2014, 2015, 2016
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Cultural Explorations Program, Guest Speaker: A Collector’s Itinerary – Southwestern Textiles 101. June 2015
