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Dragolovich completes successful career

By: Corrine Hess//December 4, 2014//

Dragolovich completes successful career

By: Corrine Hess//December 4, 2014//

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Nancy Dragolovich - IP docketing and administrator manager (retired), Michael Best & Friedrich LLP
Nancy Dragolovich – IP docketing and administrator manager (retired), Michael Best & Friedrich LLP

Nancy Dragolovich’s long career at Michael Best & Friedrich followed the growth of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group.

When the firm hired her 44 years ago as an intellectual property secretary, Michael Best had six patent attorneys and one docketing person. As Dragolovich settles into retirement, the firm has more than 65 patent attorneys, a docketing department with 10 people and 110 timekeepers, including 33 IP administrators.

“When I became the IP manager, I had to develop the position,” Dragolovich said. “We never had anyone in that spot before, so there were no guidelines.”

When Dragolovich retired Sept. 30, she was managing 33 administrators and docketers.

She joined Michael Best right after high school, taking a job as a secretary for Joe Gemignani, one of the firm’s partners. In 2000, Gemignani announced his retirement, and IP group members asked Dragolovich to become a patent administrator, filing domestic and foreign patent applications.

“Because of my years with the firm,” she said, “I ended up being the go-to person for pretty much everything IP related, so they make me the IP manager for the group.”

Dragolovich credited her success at Michael Best to Gemignani.

“He taught me everything,” she said. “We had the perfect working relationship for 30 years. He is the reason I never left.”

Now that Dragolovich is retired, she plans to spend more time with her three grandchildren, all of whom are younger than 2. She also plans to quilt, crochet and spend time with her husband at their cabin in northern Wisconsin.

“The first month has gone by so fast,” she said, “I haven’t even thought about all of the things I could be doing.”

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