Bill Abbatt is a well rounded patent attorney with a wide range of legal skills. In practice for over 25 years, Bill has extensive hands-on experience in defining and protecting inventions. His forté lies in counseling inventors and business owners so they can make money, create jobs, and gain recognition by the cost-effective use of patent law worldwide.

As an experienced litigator, Bill's portfolio includes nationwide contingent patent litigation. He also gets results for his clients through aggressive patent prosecution and licensing the protected inventions. Bill has worked on several lucrative patents and licensing deals for clients. In one case, he brought together a physician and an entrepreneur so they could develop and protect medical devices while curing the sick patient.

From the outset, Bill counsels clients on ways in which they can enhance the value of their IP portfolio. He has an affinity for working with small and mid-sized, emerging entities whose value can be enhanced by effective management of IP.

His clients appreciate his broad-ranging experience which allows him to act as a “one-stop” source of legal advice and service. As an adjunct professor of law, Bill understands the need to stay abreast of current case law, and regulatory and rules changes.

Bill believes in “cross-training.” Through his active involvement in litigating IP disputes in Michigan, Ohio, Florida and California, Bill sees the ways in which the scope and validity of patents can be challenged – insights that are useful in drafting strong patent applications with commercially significant claim coverage. By maintaining an extensive prosecution practice - Bill has written and prosecuted hundreds of patents - he can spot the strengths and weaknesses in a patent when a dispute arises.

A service-oriented practitioner, Bill frequently meets with clients face-to-face in their own facilities. This approach yields insights into their issues and gives him an appreciation of the products and processes for which the client seeks protection.

Bill earned his undergraduate degree in metallurgy/materials science at London University, at one of the top fifteen programs in the world. This academic discipline has provided depth to his practice, and enables him to assist inventors and companies in manufacturing processes, metallurgy, chemistry, and a variety of other engineering fields.

At London University, Bill also earned a postgraduate degree in business administration. Recruited by the Ford Motor College Graduate Program, Bill sailed to the U.S. on the Queen Mary, and has remained in Michigan ever since.

While working at Ford, he was an evening student at the Detroit College of Law and served for two years as an editor of the Law Review.

Bill is a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation, a Master of the Bench (American Inns of Court - University of Detroit Chapter) and is Vice-chair of the IP Law Section of the Federal Bar Association (E.D. Mich Chapter). In October 2009, he organized a seminar on IP for the judges of the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan.

Born in England, Bill speaks French and Spanish, is an avid golfer and has an airline transport pilot license. In his spare time he hangs out with his wife, two daughters and a dog named Ralph.

Bill has been voted by his law colleagues as a “Super Lawyer” (2006 - 2009) and often serves as a guest speaker on a variety of IP topics.