Mark Ekse - Registered Patent Attorney and Member of the State Bar of South Dakota.


Mark founded the Ekse Law Firm as South Dakota's own intellectual property law resource. Prior to founding the firm he worked in a variety of engineering and business development roles for Rockwell-Collins, in advanced technology development for Motorola, was in private practice specializing in intellectual property law, and most recently was the Chief Technology Officer and In-House Counsel for Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc.

Education:
BSEE, South Dakota State University, 1988
MBA, St. Ambrose University, 1998
JD, University of South Dakota School of Law, 2002 Sterling Honors

Teaching:
Adjunct Professor, University of South Dakota School of Law
Patent Law: Fall 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008
Intellectual Property Law: Spring 2007, 2009 (scheduled)

Memberships:
American Bar Association, ABA Intellectual Property Section, American Intellectual Property Law Association, IEEE


Presentations and Interviews:
Copyright and Fair Use: USD Center for Instructional Development and Delivery 2002
Copyright in Education: USD Center for Instructional Development and Delivery 2004
Fundamentals of Intellectual Property: American Society of Mechanical Engineers (Omaha) 2004
Real ROI: A Sign of the Times: CRM Monthly 2006
Uniform Numbering Systems for VRS : FCC & North American Numbering Counsel 2006
E911 Solutions for Internet Protocol Relay: Federal Communications Commission 2006
Telecommunications Solutions - VRS Numbering: Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions 2006

Bret Merkle has been representing injured people since 1991. Bret is a trial attorney specializing in the area of bodily injury and insurance claims. He graduated with a law degree and an MBA degree, and is a staff instructor with the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College. Bret has obtained justice for his clients through negotiated settlements, mediation, arbitration, court trials and jury trials for hundreds of people over the years. Bret and his staff are personable and easy to work relieving the stress from tragic accidents and losses.