Attorney Profiles...

A law firm is only as good as the people who work there. Please read on to learn more about the attorneys at McKay & Associates, PC.

Kenneth P. McKay, Esq.

Ken McKay is licensed to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the Eleventh Circuit, the First Circuit, the Eighth circuit and the Sixth Circuit, and the district courts for the Western and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania. Ken is a Patent Attorney, a Registered Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania, as well as an active arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association (AAA).

Ken graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, in June 1972. He obtained his Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana in December 1976, and he graduated from the Naval Nuclear Power School as a Westinghouse Electric Corporation Nuclear Plant Engineer (a Masters Level curriculum) in 1981, after leaving active duty in the United States Navy Civil Engineer Corps. Ken earned his J.D. from Duquesne University in 1994.

Ken's practice is centralized in representation of technology clients including intellectual property and business start-ups. He has very extensive litigation experience in federal and state courts, primarily in complex issues including intellectual property, construction and environmental law.

Joan Shinavski, Esq.

Joan Shinavski received her J.D. from the Duquesne University School of Law, where she was named to the Duquesne Law Review, which published her case note entitled, “The Eleventh Amendment Bars Private Individuals from Suing State Employers for Money Damages under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett.”

Joan is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Allegheny County Bar Association and the Women’s Bar Association of Western Pennsylvania. She is licensed to practice in the Pennsylvania State Courts and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Carlow College. Joan concentrates her practice in the areas of Wills, Estates and Trusts, Bankruptcy, corporate and business entity formation and other commercial matters.

Donald J. McKay, Esq.

Donald McKay is an attorney and patent attorney, licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office in patent cases. Don is also licensed to practice in the Pennsylvania State Courts and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He has a B.S. in chemistry, and received his J.D. from the Duquesne University School of Law.

Don has prosecuted a wide range of mechanical and chemical patents including applications involving complex computer programs and biotechnology innovations. As the patent procurement attorney, Don actively leads the firm’s prosecution of U.S. and International Patents, serving as the main contact for International Patent firms in Europe, Brazil, Mexico, and other countries. He also serves as the attorney for the prosecution of trademark and copyright applications. He further assists in intellectual property, contract, and Federal litigation support.