Patterson + Sheridan LLP partners Gero McClellan, Charles Yeh, Eric Jones and Carleton Clauss have been recognized in the inaugural edition of the Legal 500 Elite City Focus: North Carolina for their intellectual property practices.

The Legal 500 US Elite highlights lawyers performing at the top of the legal market in their respective cities. Researchers interview leading practitioners, review peer feedback and assess standout matters from the past year as part of the selection process.

“We are proud to be recognized by Legal 500,” said McClellan, who is head of the firm’s Greensboro office. “This is a reflection of our high standards for IP work and client service at Patterson + Sheridan and a wonderful achievement.”

McClellan joined Patterson + Sheridan more than two decades ago, and focuses his practice on patent preparation, prosecution and strategic counseling for some of the world’s largest tech companies. His clients include a leading global technology company with a record number of patents, a Fortune 500 networking equipment provider and a world-renowned innovator in film animation and rendering software.

Yeh is a full-service patent attorney with a broad IP practice, handling matters for clients across sectors including medical devices, automotive technologies, software applications and more. In addition to personally preparing and prosecuting over 500 patent applications, he has served as counsel in multiple multimillion-dollar patent disputes in federal district court, prepared numerous IP transfer and license agreements, briefed multiple inter partes review proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and authored non-infringement and invalidity opinions.

Jones prepares and prosecutes domestic and international patent and trademark applications for leading U.S. and global companies. He focuses his practice on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, communications technologies, complex software, information technology, electronics, internet technology and medical devices.

Clauss works with some of the largest companies in the software, hardware and networking sectors. He counsels a variety of clients from diverse sectors of the technology industry, including silicon photonics, clean energy technologies and touch interfaces for smartphones and tablets. Clauss has also helped major entertainment companies secure patents for their image processing inventions, including those involving 3D graphics and virtual reality.