Sheridan Ross is pleased to announce the addition of BRADFORD LTD to its firm. The expansion, which includes four attorneys, a recent law school graduate, and two paralegals, adds to Sheridan Ross’ thriving litigation practice and expands the firm’s capabilities to include securities and anti-competitive conduct litigation, particularly in a handful of targeted industries. Joining from Bradford LTD are attorneys Aaron Bradford, Alex Ruge, Mishele Kieffer, Stephanie McConkie, recent law school graduate Maria Spirdonova, and paralegals Gillian Natanagara and Vonda Westlake.
“This addition is a fantastic step for our growing firm,” said Matt Ellsworth, Sheridan Ross’ managing partner. “Their depth of litigation experience and know-how will be invaluable to so many of our clients, and we’re thrilled to take our partnership to the next level.”
“This relationship, and friendship, has been good for my clients and me personally the last five years,” said Aaron Bradford. “Sheridan Ross attorneys consistently deliver success after success to my clients, and I truly believe that this partnership offers a perfect balance of talent, experience, and opportunity for our clients and attorneys.”
The addition of BRADFORD to Sheridan Ross expands the firm’s ability to lead and handle a full range of complex commercial litigation disputes, particularly for securities, anti-competitive conduct, product defect and intellectual property in the areas of automotive technology, health care and hospitality. The expanded attorney team builds on the firm’s long history of handling intellectual property litigation, including patent, trademark, and trade secret lawsuits and related contractual issues. Collectively, the 15-person litigation team has handled numerous trials, arbitrations, mediations, and commercial conflicts pending in courts around the country and can handle all sizes of commercial disputes.
About the attorneys
Aaron Bradford is a battle-tested trial attorney with a passion for serving companies and individuals around the globe in the areas of technology, healthcare, and hospitality. In addition, Mr. Bradford serves as outside general counsel to companies in the United States and abroad as they work to bring their products and services to market. He has been recognized as Law Week’s Barrister’s Best for Intellectual Property Litigation for the last four years, along with the 2016 Barrister’s Best for Health Care.
Over the past seven years, Mr. Bradford has been annually recognized by Super Lawyers, The Denver Post, U.S. News – Best Lawyers® and 5280 Magazine as a top lawyer in intellectual property litigation. The Denver Business Journal honored Mr. Bradford with its “40 under 40” designation and the Denver Bar Association honored him with its Young Lawyer of the Year Award. After working in a leadership role at several national firms, he opened BRADFORD, LTD to partner with his clients through the highs and lows of business—not simply when they are facing litigation.
Alex Ruge is a patent attorney who represents innovative companies in all aspects of litigation in the federal courts and before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). He clerked for the Judge Jimmie V. Reyna at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and for the Judge Philip A. Brimmer at the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Before joining BRADFORD, LTD., Alex worked as an intellectual property litigation associate at national and international law firms and was a legal intern at Kitahama Partners in Osaka, Japan.
Mishele Kieffer is a patent attorney who has assisted companies in protecting technology, including semiconductors, automotive parts, bioreactors, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer products. She has represented clients in various venues, including federal district courts, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, the International Trade Commission, the Federal Circuit, and mediation panels.
Stephanie McConkie is a litigation associate. Before joining the firm, Stephanie clerked for the Honorable Andrew P. McCallin at the Denver District Court. Stephanie earned her law degree with a focus on intellectual property law at the University of Denver Sturm of College. During law school, she gained valuable in-house experience at CenturyLink and Gates Corporation. She also externed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office in the photovoltaic art unit.
Maria Vladimirovna Spiridonova is a recent law school graduate from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Maria worked as a summer associate and law clerk with BRADFORD, LTD during law school, a position that exposed her to all aspects of the litigation process, including drafting motions and navigating settlement negotiations. An accomplished writer, she won multiple essay submission scholarships during law school, and she also served as a research assistant for multiple professors. Maria is fluent in Russian.
About Sheridan Ross
Sheridan Ross, the Rocky Mountain region’s largest intellectual property and business law firm, has been protecting its clients’ intellectual capital and business assets for more than 65 years. We have longstanding client relationships because of our strategic advice, attention to detail, personal client service, and flexible cost structure. From our office in Denver, Colorado, our 45+ attorneys, agents, and technical specialists provide a full range of intellectual property services and advice to in-house counsel at Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, start-up companies, and individual inventors throughout the world and across a spectrum of technologies. Our services include domestic and international patent and trademark prosecution, infringement and freedom-to-operate opinions, validity and invalidity opinions, intellectual property litigation, Internet- and security-related counsel, as well as technology transactions and licensing services.