Our Staff

*Alan J.S. Dunlop
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Alan holds mechanical engineering and law degrees. He is a registered professional engineer, a registered patent lawyer in South Africa, Canada and Malawi, and was the President of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law.
Alan's current activities encompass all aspects of intellectual property, from drafting patent specifications and design applications to copyright, trade mark and unlawful competition advice and licensing contracts.

A major part of his practice is conducting patent litigation in the Patent Court and on appeal in the Supreme Court of Appeal. His special interest is design law, he is the Reporter on the FICPI CET2 committee, Chairs the S.A. Design Law committee, and was a national Council member of Design South Africa. Alan is chairman of the Judges Panel of the annual Design Prototype Awards of the Design institute of the SABS and SAIIPL. Alan is the author of numerous papers on intellectual property law and related topics, worked in the Statutory Advisory Committee in drafting amendments to the Copyright Act, the Designs Act and was chairman of the drafting committee of the Petty Patents Act.

Alan has worked in the steel industry, gaining valuable experience relating to steel manufacturing technologies and general engineering and computer technology.

*Alan Dunlop has retired from practice but is still of Counsel from time to time. Please contact Hahn & Hahn on our central e-mail for any enquiries

Vani Moodley
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Vani Moodley is a Patent Attorney admitted to practice before both the South African and USA Patent Offices, as well being an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa and of the Supreme Court of California. Vani qualified as a South African Patent Attorney at Adams & Adams before relocating to the USA. Vani has written patent applications for many high profile clients such the Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, California. He has particular expertise in the computer, electronic and mechanical arts. Currently his practice includes writing and prosecuting patents in multiple patent jurisdictions with emphasis on South Africa, PCT and the United States, drafting novelty and patent infringement opinions, drafting patent licensing agreements, and providing intellectual property litigation counsel.

Victor Williams
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Victor has mechanical engineering and law degrees, is an admitted attorney and registered patent attorney. He is a fellow of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law. Victor moved to Hahn & Hahn from Adams & Adams and is the head of our Trade Marks department. He is involved mainly with litigation and valuations in all areas of intellectual property. Victor is also acts as an IP consultant toRoutledge Modise Moss Morris intellectual property group.

Janusz Luterek
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Janusz's qualifications include a B.Eng (Chemical) and a B.Proc. He is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa, a patent attorney and a registered professional engineer. Janusz is also a member of several professional, industrial and legal societies. Janusz moved from Adams & Adams to join Hahn & Hahn in 1997. In 2001 Janusz passed the Australian Institute of Patent and Trademark Attorneys patent drafting examination.

Before joining the profession, Janusz worked in the chemical, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries for a number of years. Janusz's current activities include patent drafting, litigation, searching, providing opinions on novelty and infringement of patents and designs, and prosecuting local and foreign patent and design applications. Janusz is fluent in English, Afrikaans and Polish and reads Czech. Janusz also acts as an IP consultant to Routledge Modise Moss Morris intellectual property group. He serves on the EXCO of AIPPI South Africa and is the convenor of the South African Institute of intellectual Property Law Public Affairs committee.

Janusz’s technical fields of specialization include petrochemical engineering, food and beverage engineering, pharmaceuticals, catalysis, IT and business method related patents while also handling some mechanical and electrical patent applications.

Clyde Michael
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Clyde holds degrees in electronic engineering and law. He is a qualified attorney and patent attorney. He moved from Adams & Adams to join Hahn & Hahn in 2000.Clyde has been involved in patent and design searching, providing opinions on novelty and infringement of patents and designs and drafting and prosecuting local and foreign patent and design applications since the beginning of 1997.

Devasena Reddy
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Devasena Reddy is an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa and of the Supreme Court of California. She is an experienced litigator, having successfully litigated many high profile cases before the Pretoria High Court, in which she acted for some of South Africa's leading companies. In addition, Ms Reddy has expertise in corporate law and is a skilled negotiator.

Pieter Venter
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Pieter holds B.Sc., B.Sc.(Hons), M.Sc. degrees in chemistry and an LLB degree. He is a qualified attorney and patent attorney. He moved from Adams & Adams to join Hahn & Hahn in 2001. Pieter is interested in all aspects of intellectual property law and is involved in patent litigation and the drafting and prosecution of local and foreign patent applications.

Youngmi Ra
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Youngmi graduated with a B.Sc. (Biol) and an M.Sc. (Microbiology) in South Korea. Later Youngmi qualified as a Korean patent attorney and practised for 13 years at three of the largest patent and law offices in Korea before moving to Hahn & Hahn Inc in South Africa. Youngmi specialises in filing and prosecution of patent applications worldwide and has extensive international litigation experience in the chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields.

Vanessa Lawrance
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Vanessa holds B.Comm and LLB degrees; the final semester of the latter degree was completed at the University of Leiden, Netherlands. She also holds a diploma in Corporate Law.
Vanessa moved from Adams & Adams to join Hahn & Hahn in 2002.
Vanessa is a Trade Mark Practitioner and is primarily involved with Trade Mark litigation, Copyright and Internet matters.

Rachel Sekotlong
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Rachel has a B.A. (H.E.D.) and is currently completing her LLB. Rachel is in the patent department and deals with patent law administration issues and is fluent in English, Tswana, and Afrikaans. Rachel has been at the firm since 1990.

Jabulani Mthombeni
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Jabulani joined Hahn & Hahn in April 2006 and has B AppSc (Biochem) and Msc (Bioinformatics). Prior to joining Hahn and Hahn in 2005, he worked as microbiologist for a global brewing company and as an intern for a Bioinformatics institute. He is concurrently studying for an LLB and Patent board exams. Jabulani's practice includes patent drafting, filing and prosecution throughout Africa.

Elke Harck
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Elke Harck is the Patent Administration Manager for Hahn & Hahn Inc and Routledge-Modise Inc which position Elke held for 18 years. Elke lived in Germany and the USA before coming to South Africa and is fluent in both German and English.

Wendy Levey
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Wendy Levey joined Hahn & Hahn Inc at the beginning of 1995 and holds the position of Trade Marks Manager. In particular, Wendy oversees local and foreign trade mark filings, searches and prosecutions