Today, we celebrate an extraordinary milestone, 45 years of dedicated service by two of our firm’s most distinguished attorneys: Stephen E. Zlatos and Spiro Bereveskos. Since joining Woodard, Emhardt, Henry, Reeves & Wagner in 1980, Steve and Spiro have each built remarkable careers defined by technical excellence, fierce advocacy, and an unwavering commitment to helping clients protect and enforce their most valuable intellectual property.
Together, they bring to the firm not only decades of courtroom experience, but the rare combination of genuine engineering expertise and sophisticated legal acumen that has come to define the highest standard of intellectual property practice.
Stephen E. Zlatos — Of Counsel
Steve’s path to the firm reflects the kind of broad, well-grounded preparation that has made him one of Indiana’s most accomplished IP trial attorneys. Before joining us, he served as Deputy Attorney General for the State of Indiana, where he led the Environmental Section, and prior to that, he gained meaningful technical experience as a product engineer with Sheller-Globe Corp., an automotive parts manufacturer. That foundation has shaped everything Steve has done in the courtroom and beyond.
For 45 years, Steve has distinguished himself in both state and federal courts, with a particular focus on the damages phase of complex patent and intellectual property litigation. His work spans a wide range of industries and technologies, including medical devices, automotive systems, industrial machinery, and computer-implemented products and processes. Whether calculating lost profits, establishing reasonable royalty damages, or developing strategic IP asset valuations for licensing and enforcement, Steve brings a precision and credibility to the courtroom that has earned him the respect of clients, colleagues, and courts alike.
Steve’s contributions extend well beyond the firm and the courtroom. In 2003, he was appointed Honorary Consul for the Slovak Republic, a distinction that reflects his deep engagement with Central European business and legal communities and his commitment to building lasting connections between Indiana companies and international markets. A fluent Slovak speaker, Steve has lectured on American intellectual property law at institutions including Masaryk University in the Czech Republic and Brest State University in Belarus, and has served on the Editorial Board of the American Institute for European Law Studies. He also served as Chair of the Patent, Trademark & Copyright Section of the Indiana State Bar Association, contributing generously to the profession he has served so well.
Spiro Bereveskos — Partner
Spiro Bereveskos has spent 45 years building one of the most formidable reputations in patent and intellectual property litigation in the country. A graduate of Purdue University with honors in Industrial Engineering and Indiana University Maurer School of Law, where he earned his J.D. cum laude, Spiro came to the firm with a strong technical foundation and a relentless drive that has defined his career ever since.
For over four decades, Spiro has been recognized as an aggressive, highly effective trial and appellate litigator, known equally for his strategic command of complex IP matters and his ability to find the most efficient and cost-effective path to resolution, whether through a well-negotiated settlement or a hard-won verdict on the merits. He has successfully tried, won, or favorably resolved cases involving hundreds of millions of dollars in dispute across some of the most significant IP matters in the country. His representative experience reads like a chronicle of landmark intellectual property litigation, from defending against a $193 million trade secret demand on behalf of a major manufacturer and prevailing before the jury, to leading a sweeping, multi-decade patent enforcement campaign against dozens of Fortune 100 companies that resulted in an industry-wide licensing program, to securing wins at the trial level that were later affirmed on appeal in the Federal Circuit and beyond.
Spiro’s practice has touched virtually every corner of intellectual property litigation, including patent infringement defense and enforcement, trade secret misappropriation, trademark litigation, and patent validity challenges. His clients have ranged from medical device companies and industrial manufacturers to software developers, gaming and lottery enterprises, financial institutions, and international corporations. He currently serves as Chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Trial and Litigation Practice Group, a role that reflects both his mastery of the practice and his commitment to leading and mentoring those who will carry it forward.
Forty-five years is more than a career milestone. For Steve Zlatos and Spiro Bereveskos, it is a testament to character, craftsmanship, and a sustained belief that what we do for our clients matters deeply. Both men have given this firm their best, in the courtroom, in the conference room, in lecture halls, and in the communities they have served with distinction. Their contributions have shaped not only the firm’s practice, but the broader landscape of intellectual property law in Indiana and well beyond.
Please join us in honoring Steve and Spiro on this remarkable achievement, and in thanking them for 45 years of excellence, integrity, and service that have left a lasting mark on our firm, our clients, and the intellectual property profession.