Press Release

Boston, MA, June 29, 2023 – Burns & Levinson announced today that two veteran patent attorneys ­– Kathryn Noll and Alexander Smolenski, Jr. – have joined the firm as partners in its Intellectual Property Group. Both Noll and Smolenski were previously partners at Sunstein LLP, where Noll served as Co-Chair of the firm’s Patent Practice Group. She also previously served on Sunstein’s Management Committee. Smolenski also formerly served as Vice Chair of Sunstein’s Patent Practice Group in 2021.

“We are excited to have Kate and Alex join our world-class IP team,” said Paul Mastrocola, managing partner at Burns & Levinson. “They are seasoned patent specialists who will help us meet the increasing demand for our client-focused and results-oriented services. Kate and Alex are both extremely talented patent prosecutors, and we are fortunate to bring these two accomplished partners on board.” 

At Burns & Levinson, Noll and Smolenski are joining an IP powerhouse with over 25 IP attorneys and one of the largest electrical engineering teams in the region. The firm boasts on an impressive group of high-profile IP clients including Raytheon, Smith & Nephew, and SharkNinja among many others.

Noll has more than 23 years of experience in patent prosecution. She focuses her practice on counseling clients – from startups to large corporations – regarding intellectual property portfolio development and management, patent prosecution, product clearance, and due diligence matters. She has experience in a wide range of technologies including mechanical and medical devices, metallurgy, semiconductor devices and processes, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), optical systems, fuel cells, photovoltaic systems, consumer products, and business methods. Before going into private practice, Noll served as in-house patent counsel to Teradyne. She worked for over 10 years as an engineer designing and conducting studies primarily in the metallurgical and semiconductor fields prior to becoming an attorney. She has been named a “Top Women of the Law” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and a “Super Lawyer” (MA) by Thomson Reuters from 2017–2022. Noll received her J.D., cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School and her B.S. in physics and M.S. in materials engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Smolenski is a highly regarded patent prosecutor with over 23 years of experience who helps clients develop comprehensive IP strategies. He focuses his practice primarily in U.S. and foreign patent prosecution matters for diverse industries including semiconductor devices, analog and digital circuit design, digital signal processing, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), medical implants, information systems, data storage devices, computer graphic systems, and telecommunications. Before becoming a lawyer, Smolenski worked as an electronics engineer and environmental liaison in the defense industry. He was most recently named a “Super Lawyer” (MA) by Thomson Reuters from 2019-2022. He received his J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law, an M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Rhode Island, and a B.S. in computer and systems engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and is registered to practice before the USPTO.