Intellectual Property Due Diligence: Its Importance in M&A Transactions

Pia Angelikis, Esq., is the Vice President of Government Relations and Legal Research at Cogency Global Inc. She has over 20 years of experience with premiere service companies in the UCC and corporate services industry, managing large teams of expert lawyers and paralegals conducting legal research for public filing requirements for multistate mergers, conversions and acquisitions, tracking and analyzing UCC Article 9 and business entity legislation in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and providing thought leadership. Prior to her career in the UCC and corporate services industry, Ms. Angelikis litigated for 5 years in the areas of insurance defense and employment law. She wrote the winning brief resulting in the 9th Circuit published opinion, In re Complaint of Ross Island Sand & Gravel, 226 F.3d 1015 (9th Cir. 2000). Ms. Angelikis holds a JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and is licensed to practice law in California.

Despina Shields is Vice President of UCC Product Management at Cogency Global Inc. Ms. Shields has extensive secured transactions experience and has been in the UCC service industry since 1988. She has provided Article 9 seminars for financial institutions, law firms and paralegal associations and has been a featured speaker on UCC issues for the Pittsburgh Paralegal Association, the National Public Records Research Association and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA). Ms. Shields served on three Secured Transactions Section (STS) committees of the International Association of Commercial Administrators (IACA): The Search Logic Committee, Trademark Committee and Hip-Pocket Amendments (addressing bogus UCC filings) Committee. Ms. Shields knowledge of the conceptual framework of Article 9 combined with her practical experience ensures a valuable learning experience for those who attend her seminars.