Todd Pleiness currently works in-house as senior IP counsel with MAHLE International. Before MAHLE, Mr Pleiness worked at Brinks Gilson & Lione in their Detroit office. Mr Pleiness was an examiner with the Elijah J. McCoy United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO-Detroit). Before joining the USPTO, he worked as a patent analyst at a research firm and as an IP attorney at a large commercial law firm and a boutique IP law firm. Before attending law school, Mr Pleiness worked as a manufacturing engineer at General Motors, mainly in paint automation and application. He also worked at INA USA, gaining experience designing and manufacturing bearings for automotive components and powertrains. Mr Pleiness earned his Juris Doctor from Michigan State University and has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University.