James "Jim" Beran, a registered patent attorney, leads the firm's patent practice. He has extensive experience preparing and prosecuting patent applications, predominantly for software, hardware, semiconductor, and other types of electrical inventions. He has worked with inventors from large, midsize, and small companies as well as with independent inventors.

In the early part of his patent career, Jim was a patent examiner in the data processing arts at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and then practiced patent law as an associate at Ostrolenk, Faber, Gerb and Soffen in New York. Jim later served as an in-house patent attorney for Xerox Corporation for 14 years, primarily working in the software arts at the famous Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). He supported several key inventions from initial evaluation to patenting and licensing. Jim also had a stint at Xerox's European headquarters in England, managing patent attorneys practicing before the European Patent Office.

Jim holds a master of science degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University, but he has worked with inventions of many types and has an abiding fascination with science and technology. Jim received his law degree from the University of Oregon and his undergraduate degree from Lewis and Clark College.

Jim serves as Webmaster of the Greater Richmond Intellectual Property Law Association.  He also is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association.

Jim is admitted to the bars of Virginia, Minnesota, New York, and California and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Virginia Business listed Jim as one of the top intellectual property attorneys in Virginia in its 2006 ratings, which are based upon a survey of lawyers.