Our Alumni

April Besl '07

April Besl is an associate in the intellectual property department at Dinsmore and practices with the licensing and enforcement and entertainment law practice groups. Her practice focuses on non-patent intellectual property issues, including trademarks, copyrights, social media, Internet law, advertising and trade secrets. She services a diverse portfolio of trademarks and copyrights for domestic and international clients, ranging from large corporations to individual entrepreneurs. April has experience assisting clients with emerging issues related to the impact of social media, the web and technology on their business and marketing strategies. She also helps clients to protect and enforce their trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property from misuse via social networking sites, Internet search engine optimization strategies and keywords, and misuse on mobile devices and other emerging technologies.

April received a bachelor’s degree in management from Miami University in 2004 and a J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law in 2007. She is the acting president and vice president of CincyIP and a member of the U.S. Subcommittee of the Non-Traditional Marks Committee with the International Trademark Association.

James Casey '88

James Casey is a research manager and attorney based in San Antonio, TX. He has worked in the field of research administration since 1994 and over the years worked at major research universities (Northwestern, Wisconsin) and emerging research institutions (Bradley University, UT-San Antonio). Most recently he was assistant vice president for sponsored project administration at UT-San Antonio where he was responsible for developing, implementing and leading pre- and post-award areas of grant, contract, industrial and international agreements and research administration.  He is a member of the advisory board for the School of Law's Program in Law and Technology and the State Bar of Wisconsin's Communications Committee. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He graduated from the University of Dayton School of Law in 1988, where he was a member of the Dayton Law Review, and has been a member of the Wisconsin Bar since 1990. This spring he is receiving a certificate of commendation from the Wisconsin Bar for his September 2012 Wisconsin Lawyer article entitled, “Jury Service-Through an Attorney’s Eyes.”

He serves on the planning committee for the International Research Collaborations project convened by the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable at the National Academies and is a former executive board member of the University-Industry Demonstration Partnership. A member of the National Council of University Research Administrators since 1995, James is a past and present member of its board of directors and is the former senior editor of NCURA Magazine. In 2009, he received the NCURA Distinguished Service Award.

He views international research administration as a necessary component of a successful career. Internationally recognized for his expertise, he has presented on areas of research management in 11 foreign countries. He also presently serves on the interim executive committee of the AAAS BMENA Bioscience Forum, which is designed to link scientists in the Broader Middle East and North Africa region with scientists in Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Perry Reynolds '09

Perry Reynolds is associate general counsel at Sogeti USA. He supports Sogeti’s domestic and international business with responsibilities spanning from corporate to intellectual property law. He also teaches business law and litigation at Sinclair Community College in Dayton. Prior to joining Sogeti, Perry worked at LexisNexis as a business information consultant.

He received an A.A.S. in web development from ITT Technical Institute in 2002, a bachelor’s degree in business administration from American Intercontinental University in 2005 and a J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law in 2009. Prior to attending law school, Perry worked as a software developer and graphic designer. He is a member of the Dayton Intellectual Property Law Association.

Brian Sullivan '10

Brian P. Sullivan is an attorney at the Law Office of Thomas E. Lees in Dayton. A registered patent attorney, Brian focuses his practice on counseling clients about U.S. and foreign patent matters, including portfolio management, prosecution and IP enforcement. His practice also includes trademarks, copyrights, branding and intellectual property litigation and support.

Prior to attending law school, Brian worked as a field applications engineering specialist. During that time, he lived in Silicon Valley, Chicago and Dayton, and supported digital designers across the United States in the design and use of Altera field programmable gate arrays. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Dayton in 1995 and a J.D. and an LL.M. degree in intellectual property and technology law from the University of Dayton School of Law in 2010. Brian is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and the Dayton Intellectual Property Law Association.

Shannon Villalba  '10

Shannon Villalba is an attorney at Burton Law, a virtual law firm with offices in Ohio and North Carolina. In 2010, Shannon graduated from the University of Dayton School of Law with honors in intellectual property and received an LL.M. in intellectual property and technology law in 2011. Shannon is a member of the American Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association and the Cincinnati and Dayton Bar Associations. 

A musician and artist, she has worked in the entertainment industry as a graphic artist and video editor, and has worked on various projects on and off set for artists such as Radiohead, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Matt Damon. Following her stint in the entertainment industry, Shannon ran a small property management company in Cincinnati before attending law school.

Ted Wood '98

Ted Wood is a partner at Parks IP Law, where he practices patent law and leads the firm's grid industry group in the Washington, D.C., area. He previously was a partner at the Washington law firm of Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering, and received a J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law in 1998. Prior to practicing law, Ted achieved the rank of major with the U.S. Air Force. He is now a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserves.

With nearly 30 years of microprocessor, computer networking and communications experience, he assists innovators with protecting and leveraging their work while ensuring marketplace exclusivity. Ted's patent practice handles matters such as patent application preparation and prosecution, reissue, reexamination and appeals. His subject matter expertise includes electronics, computer graphics, architecture and networks, wireless communication systems, e-commerce and Internet applications, GPS services, automotive systems and medical devices. He has published numerous articles and has spoken at various events, including the 2012 Smart Grid Security Summit.