Ballard Spahr Pro Bono Client Wins at Penn State's "Lion Tank"

Ballard Spahr pro bono client Kyle Snowberger recently earned second place at the inaugural Penn State Mont Alto LaunchBox "LION Tank," a competition for local entrepreneurs modeled after the popular "Shark Tank" TV show.

At the event, Mr. Snowberger presented his idea for a high-altitude air-launch orbital delivery vehicle to a panel of judges. The invention would allow for the delivery of large volume payloads to Earth's orbit, thereby reducing the cost per pound of satellite delivery. His second-place award comes with a $1,000 grant.

Mr. Snowberger is represented by Ballard Spahr intellectual property lawyers John A. Chionchio and Patrick M. Brady, who recently filed a patent application for Mr. Snowberger's invention. He was connected to his Ballard Spahr lawyers through the Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts organization.

Before attending law school, Mr. Chionchio and Mr. Brady both worked as professional engineers. Mr. Chionchio, a registered patent attorney, spent a dozen years as an aerospace engineer, holding positions with RCA Astro Electronics, General Electric Space Systems Division, and Lockheed Martin Corporation. A licensed professional engineer, Mr. Brady has more than two decades of mechanical engineering experience analyzing and designing spacecraft structures for commercial and defense purposes.

Ballard Spahr has a longstanding commitment to providing pro bono legal services to individuals and organizations in need. As a signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, the firm has annually met its commitment to donate at least three percent of billable hours to pro bono service: about 40,000 hours each year—including 45,000 hours in 2017—across a spectrum of issues and causes, including arts organizations, immigration and asylum, gender employment equity, and affordable housing. The firm works with bar associations and pro bono referral agencies and also partners with in-house counsel at client companies to provide pro bono services.