Cislo & Thomas LLP’s story begins in 1970 when Donald M. Cislo, a patent attorney from Chicago, Illinois, decided to leave the Midwest cold and adventure west. Having earned his chemical engineering degree from ITT, and going to night law school at DePaul, life was not easy. Before PCs, laptops, DVDs, cell phones, the internet, and, yes, even answering machines, Don thought that intellectual property would be important in Southern California. Passing up a great opportunity at Hughes Aircraft, Don thought his prospects better at a small patent firm in Santa Monica, even if it meant less money.

Chuck Thomas had also studied electrical engineering in Illinois and, in fact, also went to DePaul Law School several years after Don. The rest is history as they formed their two-attorney partnership in 1979, and have faithfully served the Southland’s inventors and small businesses as California has grown into an innovative powerhouse.

Dan Cislo was raised with a fondness for science, reading Scientific American when other kids were reading the sports pages. He went to UCLA and graduated with a degree in Systems Engineering, combining electrical and mechanical engineering with computer science. Like his Dad, he went on to study law at night while engineering by day. With a strong background in engineering, and a law degree from Loyola Law School, he went to work for a prominent downtown intellectual property law firm.

He also started a company, SecureCase Co., developing and manufacturing patented locking cases for firearms, still used by the military, FBI and law enforcement agencies throughout the world. In 1986, the time was right and Don needed help in growing the Cislo & Thomas practice, making Dan an offer he could not refuse. Dan became the managing partner in 1996 and has never looked back, loving the wonders of science, the possibilities of technology and the excitement of business.

The firm has grown, technology has changed and the speed of business has increased. Yet, the firm continues to focus on an integrated approach to protecting, licensing and litigating patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret matters. Few firms can match Cislo & Thomas’ Quality Client Care® (QCC®) approach requiring IP specialists who know engineering and science as well as litigation and business strategies.  The firm is not only AV rated by Martindale-Hubble (the highest rating that can be received), but also listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers putting the firm in the top 5% of law firms nationwide.

With offices in Santa Monica, Westlake Village/Thousand Oaks and Santa Barbara , California, the firm's patent attorneys serve the greater Southern California area, including Los Angeles, Ventura, and Orange Counties in all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and domain name law. Our lawyers have the technical training and experience to handle any matter and are proficient in the searching, clearing, filing, licensing, maintaining and litigating of patent, trademark, and copyright matters, including trade secret, domain name, false advertising and unfair competition matters.  Our local offices each provide a convenient venue to meet our attorneys and discuss how best we can protect your intellectual property.