By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
J. Baron Lesperance (“The Patent Baron”) has been a registered patent attorney at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for more thsn 15 years. He helps his clients secure patent protection in the U.S. and internationally. In addition, Lesperance advises clients on trademarks, copyrights, and securing trade secrets.
Lesperance understands innovation due to his experience as an automotive engineer. He has designed, developed, and tested automotive products in one of the toughest arenas in the marketplace. As a result, he relates to engineers and scientists because he has been in their shoes. He also learned how to manage resources as he attended law school full-time while also working as an automotive engineer.
A Howell resident, Lesperance holds a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering and a master of science in electrical and computer engineering from Lawrence Technological University, a master of science in international administration from Central Michigan University, and a juris doctor from Western Michigan University – Cooley Law School.
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What would surprise people about your job? The wide variety of technologies and resulting new products I have had a small part in seeing get to market. Much like when I was an engineer, it is fulfilling to see a product I contributed to find success.
Why did you become a lawyer? When I was an engineering undergrad, one of my professors at Lawrence Tech suggested I should look into law school. She told me I was a good writer and that most engineers struggled with writing and communications skills. Of course, at the time I was eager to finish at LTU and start my engineering career, but that conversation stuck in my mind. Once I started working at Lear after graduation, I met a patent attorney helping to protect a testing apparatus that Lear engineers developed. I saw I could have a career that was flexible, involved writing, and most importantly, was still involved in engineering. Engineers, like lawyers, are problem solvers (and problem avoiders). In my mind, they have a lot in common.
What’s your favorite law-related TV show, movie, and/or book? There are several. I did enjoy “The Lincoln Lawyer” and “The Firm.” My wife started watching “Drop Dead Diva” and so I ended up watching it as well. To be honest, I liked the Parker character (the managing partner of the firm) most on that show!
Who are your law role models – real and/or fictional? I have to include St. Thomas More. He put his life on the line for his convictions. He set a very high standard to say the least, something all lawyers should aspire to.
If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would that be? It may be a conventional choice, but Chief Justice Roberts. I will never forget being sworn into the Supreme Court with a group of Michigan lawyers and Rep. John Dingell making the motion for admission.
What advice do you have for someone considering law school? Law school definitely changes how you see the world. It’s akin to not realizing you needed glasses until you put them on. Some things you didn’t see because they were out of focus. Now you can see those things clearly, your perception of the world is forever changed.
What’s your proudest moment as a lawyer? I think it’s several times for the same thing – getting the news that I passed the Bar in Michigan, the USPTO, and in Ontario.
What do you do to relax? I enjoying restoring and maintaining classic cars. I say both because classic cars need ongoing maintenance just to stay in running order. I enjoy driving and showing them off when the weather permits. I feel they were made to be driven and they actually benefit from being “exercised” regularly!
Why do you enjoy collecting classic cars? My father was a commercial illustrator who worked in the Penobscot Building. He specialized in cutaway automotive illustrations (showing the inner workings of the car, including the engine and transmission) for various car companies including Mercedes-Benz and General Motors. He attended ArtCenter in California, where he developed the patience to draw complicated items, like tires, in perspective – no easy feat! As a result, I was surrounded by car magazines, brochures, and countless photographs. My father restored and then sold a Model T. When my parents built a house in Livonia, he made sure it had a three-car garage! That way he could buy a new project car or two to tinker with. I enjoyed helping him and learning about cars and engineering at the same time.
What other career path might you have chosen? I like to think I had a first career path – as an automotive engineer for 6 years or so. But I started at Lawrence Tech intending to be an architect. During the summer after high school graduation, my father passed away suddenly. A neighbor was an engineer at Chrysler. Between my father and him, I started to lean more toward engineering as a career. I quickly learned that there were a lot more positions available for engineers than for architects! By this time, I was definitely into cars, so engineering seemed a better path at the time.
What would you say to your 16-year-old self? I would say make sure you take Calculus 1-4 in high school! As I was intending to be an architect and not an engineer, I wasn’t quite ready for what awaited me at Lawrence Tech. I had to take a step back in order to get through four calculus classes plus differential equations. I made it through but it was clear I wasn’t switching my major to mathematics!
Favorite local hangouts? In the summer, car shows, cars and coffee, and my pole barn with car collection!
Favorite websites? I enjoy Bloomberg.com for the latest news. I enjoy curbsideclassic.com and a myriad of other automotive-related sites, like bringatrailer.com.
Favorite app? I do enjoy weather apps and use several, such as windy.com or darksky.net. It pays when driving classic cars to keep an eye on the weather. If you haven’t driven a car in the pouring rain with vacuum-powered wipers, you don’t know what you’re missing!
Favorite music? I tend to like music from the ‘80s, with overlap into the ‘70s and ‘90s. Maybe I am getting older, but it seems like music today isn’t very good. Otherwise, why would advertising use so many songs and music from the ‘80s?
What is your happiest childhood memory? I think childhood is pre-age 16 (that would be getting my license), so I would have to say the trip my father and I took to Fall Hershey in 1986. Every October in Hershey, PA, there is a massive car show and swap meet. I believe if you walked the entire show area, you would walk nearly 30 miles. I was taken out of school for the week (yay!) and the weather was unseasonably warm, almost hot. Shorts and T-shirt weather. Hersheypark was open for the show-goers but on an individual ticket-per-ride basis. Hardly anyone was in the park, they were at the show. I had a fistful of tickets and my father watched me go from ride to ride. There is a coaster called the Comet. It’s a wooden classic. When I got up to the station, there was no one else there! I got in the front seat and handed over a ticket. I rode it all by myself! Who does this, I thought? I felt like the President’s son! When I got back to the station, there was no one waiting. The attendant asked if I wanted to go again. I said, “Sure!” and handed over another ticket. I did this several times until my stomach told me to take a break. Later, I spotted a ‘68 Dodge Charger for sale. I dragged my father over to it. He wasn’t that into Chargers like I was. I had seen “Bullitt” and “The Dukes of Hazard” many times, mostly for the car chases. Here was a mint Charger, for sale! I tried my best persuasive argument to no avail. All was not lost, however. My father found a 66 Mustang convertible for sale toward the end of the show, and purchased it for my mother as an anniversary present. Not a Charger, but a good consolation prize. I still have that Mustang, in case you’re wondering!
What is your most treasured material possession? I would have to say my 1970 Dodge Charger 500. Ever since that Hershey show, I had wanted a Charger. Later, I found this one in Ohio and bought it. I really like the styling and that generation of Charger has become even more famous in television and movies.
What do you wish someone would invent? While it could cause a lot of problems, a time machine could be valuable from a legal aspect! I also feel an 8th day of the week would be nice. One thing you learn quickly as a lawyer is the value of time.
What has been your favorite year so far and why? I think each year has been better than the last!
What’s the most awe-inspiring place you’ve ever been? I’ve been to the Grand Canyon, which I imagine is a typical answer. I like to go back to the Hershey show in ‘86. This was pre-Internet so I had no idea of the scale of that show, with hundreds of cars for sale and all kinds of automobilia to look at. I still have many fond memories of Hershey!
If you could have one super power, what would it be? I’d like to be able to teleport instantly anywhere I would like to be. Time wasted traveling has only become more apparent post-COVID!
What’s one thing you would like to learn to do? I would like to learn how to play golf. I’ve never had a lesson and it shows. I’ve played hockey off and on since college but “playing” golf every 2 years does not a golfer make.
What is something most people don't know about you? As an engineer turned patent attorney, most people assume that I’m introverted and struggle with public speaking. That used to be the case before law school but now I look forward to those opportunities as each time builds collateral for the future.
If you could have dinner with three people, past or present, who would they be? I’m a history buff, so the three people would be George Washington, Henry Ford, and Napoleon.
What’s the best advice you ever received? The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right – Henry Ford.
Favorite place to spend money? Buying cars and car stuff, wherever that may be!
What is your motto? He who dares wins.
Which living person do you most admire? I’m going to bend the rules here and say St. Thomas More – a Man for All Seasons.
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement? I think passing the bars on my first attempt in Michigan and Ontario – being admitted to practice law in two countries is something to be proud of.
What is the most unusual thing you have done? I decided to return to Lawrence Tech and obtain a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering in 2014 to better serve my clients.
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