Finding Balance through Innovation

Richard Wesorick is a co-managing partner at Tarolli, Sundheim, Covell & Tummino LLP, a 28-lawyer intellectual property boutique law firm in Cleveland, Ohio. Rich graduated from Purdue University with a degree in mechanical engineering. Before attending law school at the University of Dayton School of Law, he worked as an engineer for G.E. Aircraft Engines, during which time he was the inventor of U.S. Patent No. 5,178,003.

Rich has nearly 20 years of experience as a patent attorney, with the majority of that time spent practicing in the medical device space. Since 2000, Rich and his firm have represented Cleveland Clinic (CC) in patent matters related to a wide variety of technologies including orthopaedic instrumentation, cardiovascular surgery and implants, neuromodulation, healthcare information technology and biotechnology. Rich’s role in representing CC expanded several years ago to include typical in-house patent counsel functions, and indeed much of his time is spent working closely with the CC Innovations staff to craft patent strategy appropriate for both licensing and start-up company opportunities. Rich is a frequent lecturer within CC and for other organizations and institutions on intellectual property matters and, in particular, medical device protection and commercialization.

Rich is active in several professional organizations such as the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association, the Licensing Executives Society, the Association of University Technology Managers, and the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property.