Burris Law attorneys Kelly Burris and George Patsarikas are recognized in the 2027 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, among the nation’s most respected, peer-review lawyer ranking guides. Kelly is included in The Best Lawyers in America® for Patent Law, while George is named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Intellectual Property Law.
Founded in 1983, Best Lawyers was the first publication to introduce professional recognition to the legal industry through peer review. This year, the publication recognizes the professional excellence of 105,537 lawyers across more than 200 metro areas and nearly 200 practice areas.
George focuses his practice on patent preparation and prosecution, counseling clients on inventions related to electrical engineering and computer-implemented technologies. His work includes patents involving automotive control systems, machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies, acoustic systems, semiconductors, semiconductor processing systems, robotic systems, heating systems, and medical devices.
Kelly founded Burris Law in 2016 and has since grown the firm from a three-person startup into a globally recognized IP firm serving more than 600 clients. A former aerospace engineer, licensed pilot, inventor, and one of the leading IP attorneys across the globe, Kelly has more than two decades of IP and patent law experience across sectors including automotive, semiconductors, medical, green and clean technologies, manufacturing technologies, welding and gas cutting, metallurgy, ceramic and composite materials, and consumer products.
With offices in Detroit and St. Louis, Burris Law provides counsel in patent preparation and prosecution, post-grant proceedings, trademarks, trade secrets, IP transactions, and strategic portfolio development. The firm serves clients ranging from Fortune 50, Fortune 100, and Fortune 500 companies to mid-sized manufacturers, emerging businesses, and individual inventors across industries including aerospace, automotive, computer networking, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, advanced materials, medical devices, and consumer products.
A defining feature of Burris Law is its distinctive “fly-to-client” service model. Through this approach, Kelly pilots her Daher TBM 940 aircraft to visit clients at their facilities, meet directly with engineers and inventors, see technologies firsthand, and develop patent strategies grounded in a deeper understanding of each client’s innovation and business goals.
The 2027 Best Lawyers honors add to a growing list of recognitions bestowed upon Burris Law and its attorneys this year. Kelly has been recognized among the Lawdragon 500 Leading Global IP Lawyers, DBusiness “Powered by Women” honorees, Michigan Lawyers Weekly Legal 250, and Crain’s Detroit Business “Notable Leaders in Law.” Burris Law also has been recognized among the 2026 “Best Up & Coming Law Firms” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly; named by Juristat among top-performing patent firms before the USPTO; ranked among the top firms in the Patent Bots Patent Quality Rankings; and named a Tier 1 Detroit firm by Best Law Firms.