McHale & Slavin, P.A. - Intellectual Property Attorneys

Ira Lazarus
Patent Attorney

Ira S. Lazarus joined the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 1972 as a patent examiner and was promoted to Primary Examiner in 1977, reviewing patent applications in valves, fluid handling systems, internal combustion engines, and shafts and torques transmitting couplings. He was promoted to Supervisory Primary Examiner in 1987. In that capacity, his staff was responsible for applications pertaining to a variety of arts including; illumination devices, power plants, external combustion engines, heat exchangers, combustion systems, stoves and furnaces, ventilation, drying apparatus and biomedical devices. In 2004, Mr. Lazarus was designated as the Supervisor in the Office of Petitions under the Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination and Policy. In that capacity Mr. Lazarus supervised petition attorneys who were responsible for over 12,000 decisions per year.

During his nearly 35 year career with the USPTO, Mr. Lazarus was selected for a number of details and special assignments, including: Acting Technology Center Director of TC 3700; a detail to the Office of the Assistant Commissioner for Patents; and membership on numerous policy and planning and implementation committees. In addition, he was selected as a Fellow to the Commerce Science and Technology Fellowship Program (COMSCI) where he had the opportunity to study high level science and technology policy and program management through work assignments and intensive education activities. His work assignment was served with the Department of Energy (DOE) in the Office of Transportation Technology working on the Partnership of the New Generation Vehicle (PNGV) with the Office of Advanced Automotive Technologies. Mr. Lazarus received two Department Of Commerce Bronze Medal Awards for examination and supervisory accomplishments , respectively, as well as the Department's Exceptional Career Award. He also served as a frequent Instructor at the USPTO Patent Academy, the Visiting Scholars Program and the New Manger Seminars.

Mr. Lazarus received a Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, in Mechanical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, where he served as Chapter President of Pi Tau Sigma, the national mechanical engineering honor society. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar and the Federal Bar Association. He has served as the Chairperson of the Federal Bar Association's Patent and Trademark Law Section. He is also a member of the Government Patent Lawyers Association (GPLA), the Patent and Trademark Office Society, and the USPTO Legal Society.