Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner, P.A.

Women's History Month is about celebrating the impact women have on our world. This March, we're proud to feature conversations with members of our SLW team as they reflect on the women who helped shape who they are today. Today, Trademark Principal Jessica McDonald shares about a woman who had a pivotal influence. 1. Who was an influential woman in your life, either from history or in your personal life? “My mother, who recently passed, has been very influential in my life both personally and professionally.” 2. How did she influence your life? “My mother was a cosmetic chemist and started in her career at a time when women were not necessarily encouraged to pursue careers in science. In fact, her first resume out of college to apply to work for a laboratory making reagents required her to list her height, weight, and marital status.” 3. What lessons did you learn from her? “From a young age, my mother always encouraged me to have an interest in math and science. It led me to majoring in Biology in college and taking an interest in pursuing a career in Intellectual Property. I was fortunate to get to work closely with her in her R&D lab several summers in college and learned a tremendous amount.” 4. How is her influence reflected in your life today? “I don’t feel I would have my career today if it was not for her love of science and encouraging that same interest in me.” Jessica is a registered patent attorney and a trademark attorney. Her practice focuses on the prosecution and enforcement of trademarks, including counseling clients on their portfolios, such as selection and adoption of their trademarks, conducting U.S. and worldwide trademark clearance searches, filing and prosecuting trademark applications both domestically and internationally, and enforcement of their trademark rights. Her background also focuses on trademark and copyright litigation in the federal courts and trademark proceedings before the USPTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). Before earning a law degree at St. John's University School of Law, Jessica earned a B.S. in Science from Penn State University. #WomensHistoryMonth #WHM #WHM2025 #math #science #chemistry

Exciting news! SLW is launching a Patent Boot Camp in San Jose - a comprehensive, hands-on introduction to patent law fundamentals, aimed at engineering and first-year law students with an interest in IP. Aris Gregorian will lead this in-person program, which runs May 27-30, 2025, and is offered at no cost to participants. From patent application essentials to claim drafting, participants will gain practical experience while learning from industry experts. Plus, they’ll receive networking opportunities with SLW attorneys, with daily lunch provided. Interested candidates must complete the SLW Academy IP Certification Course and submit application materials by March 15. Selected applicants will be notified by March 31. If you're an engineering or first-year law student, apply now! Or, share this news with someone who could benefit. Learn more and apply at: https://bit.ly/4bssFXY. #PatentBootCamp #PatentLaw #IPEducation #Engineering #LawStudents

SLW’s Anthony Curtis, Lucas Hjelle, Drew Hirshfeld and Ricardo Moran are gearing up for their roles in American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)’s 2025 Patent Prosecution Boot Camp. This three-day seminar takes place in Arlington, Virginia on March 5 through 7. Tony Curtis, together with Stefan D. Osterbur of Van Hoven PC, is co-coordinating the program and moderating. Lucas Hjelle, along with Marc Richards of Crowell & Moring, will be covering important topics in modern patent practice, with special emphasis on AI-related patents and USPTO guidance, at the Claims Drafting Workshop focused on Electrical, Computer, and Software Systems. Drew Hirshfeld will be participating in a fireside chat about his experiences working at the PTO, and some thoughts about the present and future. Ricardo Moran will be speaking in the Biotech/Chemical section of the Responding to Office Actions Workshops. To read more about AIPLA’s 2025 Patent Prosecution Boot Camp, visit the AIPLA website at: https://bit.ly/43jAf4W. #AIPLA #AIPLA2025 #PatentProsecution #PatentProsecutionBootCamp #IPCommunity

From Stephanie Kwolek forging ahead in lifesaving superfibers (https://bit.ly/41mP6Jp), to Margaret Hamilton leading a software engineering division that worked on the Apollo code (https://lnkd.in/gaYknPyA), women inventors and scientists have made profound and practical impacts on all of our lives. Just a few of the myriad other individuals to celebrate during Women's History Month: ? Beulah Louise Henry earned 49 patents to improve household items such as the typewriter and the sewing machine (https://bit.ly/3D4nAZd) ? Alice Ball created a treatment for leprosy by injecting chaulmoogra tree oil (https://bit.ly/41qXgRb) ? Mary Anderson invented a spring-loaded windshield wiper, first used for trolleys and later for cars (https://bit.ly/43k9sW8.) ? Grace Hopper played an instrumental role in forging computer programming and programming languages (https://bit.ly/3DhnugU) ? Patricia Bath patented the Laserphaco Probe, an invention to help people with cataracts (https://bit.ly/41la4Zb) Got future inventors in your life? The IPO Education Foundation website has an IP Patch Curriculum to help student scientists and inventors dive into IP: https://bit.ly/41uNFJ8. And high school, college and law school students can explore intellectual property through SLW Academy, available at https://bit.ly/41FW0e4. Please join us in celebrating women scientists and inventors throughout history – and to come! #WomensHistoryMonth #WHM #WHM2025

Now available online: "How the UPC has Changed the Patent Landscape in Europe." If you couldn’t attend last week’s webinar live, you can view the recording and slides at your convenience, on the SLW Institute. Thank you again to our guest speaker, Graham Burnett-Hall of Shoosmiths, and our moderator, SLW Principal Adeel Haroon, for providing this insightful discussion on the transformative impact of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) on European patent litigation. Click here to view this online resource: https://bit.ly/3F6h709. #UPC #UnifiedPatentCourt #PatentLaw #EuropeanIP #LegalWebinar

Aaron Wininger, Director of the China Intellectual Property Practice at SLW, was selected for WIPR Leaders 2024 by WIPR (World Intellectual Property Review). To make their selections, the WIPR research team looked at factors including practice history, industry expertise, and other activities such as writing and teaching. Worldipreview.com is an online publication owned and operated by Newton Media Limited. Aaron’s listing is available at: https://bit.ly/4igvzRS. To learn more about WIPR Leaders 2024, visit: https://bit.ly/3Qynw79. Aaron is a Principal at SLW, and counsels both U.S. and Chinese companies on patent and trademark portfolio development, non-infringement and invalidity opinions, and cross-border enforcement of intellectual property rights, including enforcement of patents via Amazon’s Patent Evaluation Express (APEX) program. He has worked with clients in the areas of software, networks, lasers, medical devices, semiconductors and physics. His knowledge of both the Chinese and American markets allows him to advise his clients as they expand and enforce their intellectual property portfolios. He frequently publishes articles on his blog, China IP Law Update: https://bit.ly/4bkwkXv. #WIPR #WIPRLeaders2024

Missed Janal Kalis' recent SLW Institute webinar, or want to send it to a colleague? The recording and slides are available on our website at: https://bit.ly/3Xftq0K. In this informative February 11 session, Janal presented, "What We Can Learn about Technology Landscapes from Patent Citation Analyses—Case Study of Lithium Ion Battery Patents," moderated by Nicholas Lanzatella. Keep an eye out for news about the next episode of the SLW Life Sciences Webinar Series, to be announced soon. #technology #lithium #battery #patents #IP #webinars

This Engineers Week 2025, we're sharing short interviews with attorneys who have engineering backgrounds. Their perspectives illustrate how engineering experience enriches IP legal work. Today’s post features Tim Bianchi. Prior to earning a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law, Tim earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Tim also has practical experience as a research scientist. Here are some thoughts from Tim: Q1: What advice would you give to engineers considering a career in law? A: "Patent law offers an ideal path for those passionate about science and engineering who maintain a broad intellectual curiosity. The field provides continuous opportunities to learn while helping clients protect their innovations and business interests. One of the most rewarding aspects is collaborating with exceptional minds - entrepreneurs, scientists, and engineers who represent the best of innovation and drive to improve our world." Q2: What influenced your decision to pursue patent law? A: "During my tenure as a senior research scientist at Honeywell Research, I had the opportunity to interact with patent attorneys during ring laser gyroscope infringement litigation. A particular attorney, John Shudy, noticed my interest and invited me to visit Honeywell Legal to meet other patent attorneys and learn what a day in the life of a patent lawyer was like. He took the time to answer every question I had about practice. After that discussion I knew I had to try it. I have tried to copy his example where possible to 'pay it back' for future potential patent attorneys." Q3: What is the most valuable career or life advice you've received? A: "A pivotal moment came as I approached completion of my electrical engineering bachelor's degree. Facing the decision between entering the workforce or pursuing graduate studies, I sought counsel from my father. His wisdom was profound: 'Timmy, anything you learn today you're going to use in the future, no matter what it is. So, if you want to go to grad school, go to grad school.' Dad was right! The advanced semiconductor, electromagnetics, and physics coursework from graduate school has been instrumental throughout my patent law career." Thank you for sharing your experiences, Tim, and passing along these lessons to others! #Engineers #ElectricalEngineering #ResearchScientist #PatentAttorneys #Semiconductor #Electromagnetics #Physics

To celebrate Engineers Week 2025, we’re posting interviews with SLW attorneys who have engineering backgrounds. Thank you to these attorneys for sharing insights about the benefits that an engineering background can provide. Today, Jose Nunez shares his experiences. Before practicing law, Jose worked as a network engineer and as a product manager for several technology companies. He has a Telecommunication Engineering degree from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, a Master of Science in Computer Science & Engineering and a Master in Business Administration from Santa Clara University, as well as a J.D. from Northwestern California University School of Law. Here are four questions with Jose. Q1: What (beyond your technical expertise) from your engineering days translates into how you practice patent law? A: "Having first-hand knowledge of the software development cycle is useful when talking to?inventors because it gives you credibility. Sometimes,?engineers?wonder if the attorney is going to understand the technology.? By talking like an engineer, they are more likely to trust you and explain the invention, including complex technical details." Q2: What advice would you give to engineers considering a career in law? A: "You need to decide if you love working in the law field. If you do, you will be performing attorney’s tasks, such as drafting legal documents with a technical background. If you are not sure, you probably should not start this long and hard road to becoming an attorney." Q3: What helped you decide to go into patent law? A: "I’ve always liked law, although I chose engineering as my first career. With patent law, you get to practice law while using your technical skills." Q4: What is the best advice you have received for your career – or life in general? A: "Be nice to everyone. The best way to advance your career is to be sponsored by friends. Also, any person with negative feedback about your performance can derail your career opportunities for advancement." Thank you for sharing your insights, Jose! A very wise perspective. Happy Engineers Week! #Engineers #TelecommunicationEngineering #ComputerScience #MBA #PatentLaw

We are happy to celebrate Engineers Week and showcase the career paths that an engineering background can unlock. Throughout this week, we'll be featuring interviews with SLW attorneys who have engineering experience. Their perspectives demonstrate how technical expertise can enrich legal practice. In this post, Vanessa P. shares her experiences. Vanessa earned a Bachelor in Telecommunications Engineering as well as a Bachelor in Law from Universidade de Fortaleza, in Brazil. Vanessa later earned her J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Vanessa has practical experience as a Telecommunication Engineer, where she worked with infrastructure and support of networks to telecommunication services by developing viability studies and supervising installment and maintenance of telecommunication equipment. Here are four questions with Vanessa: Q1: What (beyond your technical expertise) from your engineering days translates into how you practice patent law? A: "Working as an engineer and with patent law both require being skilled at breaking down complex problems and identifying creative solutions, adaptability, continuous learning, and attention to detail." Q2: What advice would you give to engineers considering a career in law? A: "Seek networking opportunities. Talk with patent attorneys about the legal field’s day-to-day operations, which can greatly differ from working with engineering. Also, explore the different kinds of patent law opportunities. I would advise getting internships or shadowing experiences in different legal work environments (e.g., corporate vs. law firm) and in different areas of patent law (e.g., patent prosecution vs. patent litigation)." Q3: What helped you decide to go into patent law? A: "My law school, Mitchell Hamline, has a strong Patent Law program. After taking a few classes, I became fascinated by this area of law. I love that I am able to work with law and state-of-the-art technologies at the same time. Fortunately, I made some connections at law school, through which I was offered a summer program position at SLW, where I now work as an attorney." Q4: What is the best advice you have received for your career – or life in general? A: "It is never too late to start doing what you love and pursue your dreams." An excellent perspective! Stay tuned as our attorneys continue to share their experiences transitioning from engineering to law, and the valuable insights they bring to their legal practice. #TelecommunicationsEngineering #Telecommunication #Engineers #Engineering #PatentAttorneys