Let’s start with the Attorney winner….Bill Van Asselt for his tireless work for our clients, Atlas Technology Group and Ivy Animal Health. Bill was nominated by Dale Werts and Mark Bluhm.

Bill demonstrated his commitment to Atlas Technology Group in April, when Atlas closed the deal to buy an online gaming trading business in Shanghai and Hong Kong. When significant changes occurred in connection with the sale, Bill handled last minute negotiations and document drafting. Dale was out of town on vacation and could assist only via email and telephone. So, Bill took the lead, working with the client's representatives and local counsel in Manila, Hong Kong and Shanghai and negotiating with seller's counsel in Los Angeles, late into the night for several days. Bill even continued his fervent client service with Atlas for a day or so while on his family vacation!

In his nomination, Dale raved:

“The client told me this morning that Bill did a great job, working all night several times, even after leaving on his own vacation…Apparently, Bill was on the phone with the client in Shanghai until daybreak a couple of times this past weekend, while on vacation. The client is very pleased with his effort and client service.”

At the same time Bill went above and beyond the call of duty, billing almost 400 hours to help sell Bob Lesley's client, Ivy Animal Health, to Eli Lilly. Ivy is a privately owned, fully integrated, veterinary pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, markets and is a worldwide distributor of animal health products and services that enhance meat production. Bill worked feverishly for weeks in connection with the transaction, frequently finalizing and sending documents in the wee hours of the morning. Even the Wall Street lawyers representing Eli Lilly were astounded by Bill’s effort.

We all congratulate you, Bill, for your wonderful example and work ethic.

And now for the Non-Attorney winner…Gerald M. Kraai and Teresa Anderson Cawthon are raving fans of our second Jackalope winner, Melissa Turpen.

When an IP attorney and a paralegal at Payless ShoeSource both left within days of each other last September, Payless was faced with the daunting task of trying to find two qualified and experienced individuals. No one at Payless was available to keep up with the day-to-day IP database entries, which meant there was limited monitoring of daily deadlines, completing deadlines that had been satisfied or entering newly issued deadlines, not only for Payless' trademarks in the United States, but around the world.

In January, Payless called and Lathrop & Gage's IP docketing administrator, Melissa Turpen, willingly came to the rescue. Between January and March of this year, Melissa spent two days a week in Topeka, working tirelessly to catch up on the back trademark docketing. She also corrected previous incomplete entries, found ways to make the database entries more user-friendly and informative while continuing to maintain her existing duties downtown.

In addition to 12-hour days spent in Topeka, Melissa supported our team of paralegals, auditing U.S. and foreign trademark portfolios owned by Payless to insure that no deadlines were missing in the database at Payless.

"She is a wonderful asset to the firm, going above and beyond data entry to where she really understands the data," said Teresa Cawthon. "She raises questions and helps us avoid a lot of issues that could arise if she merely entered what was on the surface."

Thanks to Melissa, the new employee who started in April was welcomed to a position that was current and updated. But most importantly, Melissa, saw far beyond her duties and suggested ways that Payless could improve its database entries and file management system.

Thanks Melissa for your willingness to step in and help us through a time of transition, while keeping our client needs met.