HT Than
Principal

Professional Background
Before starting his own law group in June 2000, Mr. Than developed a sophisticated patent prosecution and litigation practice while working at the intellectual property law firms of Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro LLP in Washington, D.C. and Pennie & Edmonds LLP in both New York and Washington, D.C.

Bar Admissions
Mr. Than is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Maryland and New York. He is also registered to practice before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Professional Success
Mr. Than has successfully prosecuted utility and design patents both for large multinational corporations and individual inventors. In the United States, he has filed successful patent applications on technologies such as fuel cells, architectural coatings (paints and stains), color selection theories, complex pathogen detection machineries, consumer products, medical equipment and devices, software and electronics. He has filed hundreds of patent applications in numerous foreign patent offices and has advised clients where to concentrate their foreign filings to maximize the legal protection for their budgets. At least two of the patents that he drafted earned royalties for his clients. In the courtroom, Mr. Than has won judgments for his clients, both by enforcing their patents and defending them against charges of infringing others' patents. Mr. Than’s litigation experience has taught him the techniques necessary to craft enforceable patents. In addition, he has gained experience from both litigation and patent prosecution to better counsel clients on patent issues during new product development, helping them to avoid costly mistakes. Mr. Than also conducted freedom-to-operate (FTO) analyses to help launched his clients’ products and analyzed the IP component of mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Than has built several patent portfolios for his clients.

Mr. Than also has expertise in drafting and negotiating agreements for his clients including settlement agreements, multinational joint development agreements, licensing agreements, employment agreements and confidential non-disclosure agreements. He has also assisted his clients in developing business strategies that maximize their patent portfolios.

Mr. Than has written and submitted an amicus curiae brief to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Educational Background
Mr. Than graduated from Boston University School of Law in 1993. He received a Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University in 1987. His Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering is from Boston University, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1985.

Industry Experience
Before entering law school, Mr. Than worked for Exxon Corporation as a senior project engineer. His work included optimizing oil and gas production from fields located in the southeastern United States, providing engineering and economic justifications for drilling new wells and repairing existing deep wells. While pursuing his undergraduate and graduate degrees, he taught classes in thermodynamics, ordinary differential equations and mechanical engineering laboratories, as well as computer programming.

Volunteering Experience
Mr. Than is a member of the board of directors of the Rice University Engineering Alumni Association (2017-2021) and is currently serving as its President-Elect.

Other Interests
Mr. Than holds a first-degree black belt in Taekwondo.

Sarah Grabenstein
Legal Assistant/Paralegal

Professional Background
Ms. Grabenstein is a graduate of the University of Maryland where she earned a bachelor's degree in environmental science and policy. She is the winner of the 2005 University of Maryland Professional Writing Program Technical Writing Contest. Prior to joining the law group, Ms. Grabenstein worked at the United States Department of Agriculture for two years as an intern in the Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program. She wrote articles for the Natural Resource Conservation Service website, proof-read manuscripts and maintained office databases.

Arthur M. Antonelli
Of Counsel

Professional Background
Mr. Antonelli’s experience includes litigating complex patent infringement actions involving water pollution control technologies, semiconductor devices and fabrication, consumer electronics, nanotechnology, and chemistry. He has served as lead counsel in the successful defense of a manufacturer against allegations of patent infringement in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho.

Mr. Antonelli has considerable experience drafting expert witness reports and preparing claim construction briefs and motions to compel discovery and summary judgment. He is adept at developing proofs and at all aspects of discovery. He has worked closely with inventors, expert witnesses, and corporate designees to prepare for and defend depositions.

Mr. Antonelli has prosecuted patents in a range of technological arts, and counseled clients on developing and implementing patent strategies for the protection of new products. He has prepared numerous patentability studies, product clearance investigations and other patent opinions.

Mr. Antonelli has worked for both an international general practice law firm and a smaller IP law boutique. Prior to his law career, Mr. Antonelli worked for an engineering consulting firm, where he was responsible for designing wastewater treatment systems for industry, and stormwater management systems for mining operations. He played a significant role in conceiving and developing remediation plans for hazardous waste landfills, contaminated soils, and groundwater at military sites.

Professional Success
Mr. Antonelli received his J.D. from George Washington University Law School, and holds a Master's of Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Maryland, and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Chemical Society.

Bar Admissions
Mr. Antonelli is admitted in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and is registered to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Kim Quyen Pham
Director

Educational Background
Ms. Pham received her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Boston University in May 1991. She also matriculated at the University of Maryland and the College of Financial Planning, attended classes in financial accounting, investment, insurance and financial planning.

Professional Background
Ms. Pham is responsible for compliance, tax, hiring, human resource, employment benefits, payrolls, and all financial matters at the H. T. Than Law Group since 2003.

Prior to joining the law group, Ms. Pham successfully raised three children guiding them through all phases of their educations and childhoods and guiding her oldest child through post-college life.

Before starting her family, Ms. Pham was a successful Technical Recruiter at two Boston area recruiting firms, specializing in recruiting and placing software and hardware engineers for major technical companies in the Route 128 Boston technology corridor. She was awarded the “Recruiter of the Month” designation on two occasions at New Boston Associates for being the highest grossing producer.

Community and Volunteer Background Ms. Pham serves on the Board of Trustee of Many Hands DC Inc., a women’s grantmaking organization that focuses on helping women and their family in needs. She has been a member of Many Hands DC since 2014 and volunteered in various focus groups. During the 2017-2018 grant cycle, Ms. Pham served as the co-chair of the Many Hands Education Focus Group, leading a group of 16 member volunteers, over four months, to vet 42 non-profit grant applications and conducted 10 site visits that resulted in a recommendation of one Education Focus Grant Finalist for the entire Many Hands community to vote for the Many Hands $100,000 Grant.

Ms. Pham is a supporter and informal advisor to LearnServe International, a Washington DC region youth social entrepreneurship education organization.

Other Interests Ms. Pham holds a first-degree black belt in Taekwondo.

Nathan Wood
Legal Assistant/Paralegal

Professional Background
Mr. Wood is a graduate of the University of Michigan, having completed a dual degree in History and Anthropology with High Distinction. As a four-year student-athlete at Michigan, Mr. Wood represented the Wolverines on the water as a member of the rowing team, in the community as a two-term team president, and in the classroom as a member of the Honors College.