After practicing law for more than 45 years, Jim Oliff has decided to fully retire and spend more time with his family, including his newest grandchild.
Jim began his career in IP as an examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). While Jim was at the USPTO he also served as a lecturer at the U.S. Patent Academy and as a law clerk to the Chairman of the Board of Appeals. After obtaining his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, Jim went into private practice with the law firm of Stevens Davis Miller & Mosher, where he prosecuted patents on behalf of many large international clients and worked on a number of patent litigation matters in U.S. District Courts throughout the U.S. In 1983, Jim left his prior firm to start his own firm with his partner Bill Berridge. Under Jim’s leadership, Oliff PLC has grown from four attorneys to more than 40 attorneys and patent agents, filing nearly 5,000 patent applications a year. The backbone of Oliff PLC’s success continues to be the client-focused principles that Jim established when he founded the firm, and the many strong and lasting client relationships he developed throughout his career.
The firm was planning events in Japan and the U.S. to celebrate Jim’s retirement and thank him for his many years of service to the firm and our clients. Unfortunately, those events have been put on hold because of the pandemic. In the meantime, on behalf of the partners, attorneys and the entire staff of Oliff PLC, we would like to express our gratitude to Jim for his leadership and his many years of service to the firm and its clients. We wish Jim and his family a happy and peaceful retirement.
Oliff PLC Executive Committee