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Are you interested in staying current on patent prosecution practice or involved in cross-disciplinary practice? Are you a new or junior lawyer, a patent agent, or a technical advisor? Are you a foreign practitioner who wants to understand and speak the language of the USPTO and US practitioners when sending instructions on a US case or when receiving instructions on a local case?

If your answer is “yes” to any of the above questions, or if you simply love patent law, please join us in at AIPLA Headquarters in Arlington, VA for this 3-day patent prosecution seminar. 

Now in its 25th year, AIPLA’s Patent Prosecution Boot Camp is a comprehensive, CLE-accredited seminar that includes instructional lecture-style sessions with practical tips on U.S. and international patent preparation and prosecution, as well as hands-on interactive workshops that will walk you through drafting claims and responding to office actions. To ensure that the workshops are relevant to your practice, they are held in smaller groups according to technology backgrounds: (1) Biotechnology/Chemical, (2) Electrical/Software, and (3) Mechanical.

Day 1 focuses on preparation of a patent application. 
Day 2 focuses on prosecution of the application to grant. 
Day 3 is a half-day program dedicated to more advanced topics such as petitions, appeals, post-grant proceedings, and international practice.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Program Agenda & Schedule

Wednesday, March 5  (8:30 am - 5:30 pm)

Application Preparation - Including:

• Opening Remarks
• Initial ‘Inventor’ Interview and Invention Disclosure
• Inventorship
• Patent Search and Opinions
• Filing Formalities
• Overview of Design Patents
• Application Drafting and Provisional Applications
• Afternoon Claims Drafting Workshops
  • MECHANICAL
  • ELECTRICAL
  • BIOTECH/PHARMA/CHEMICAL
• Networking Reception (5:30 - 6:30 pm)
  

Thursday, March 6 (8:30 pm - 5:30 pm)

Prosecution of a Patent Application - Including:

• Responding to § 101 / §112 Rejections
• Responding to § 103 Rejections
• Restriction Elections / Double Patenting
• Continuations and RCEs
• Examiner Interviews & Knowing the USPTO
• Afternoon Workshops: Responding to Office Actions
  • MECHANICAL
  • ELECTRICAL/SOFTWARE
  • BIOTECH/CHEMICAL

Friday, March 7 (8:30 am - 3:30 pm)

Digging Deeper: Petitions, Appeals, Post-Grant Proceedings, and International Practice - Including:

• Prosecution Tips from a Patent Litigator's Perspective
• Issuance, Term, Certification of Correction, Disclaimers & Maintenance
• Ethics, IDS & Duty of Candor
• PCT Filings and International Patent Prosecution
• Program concludes at 3:30 PM Eastern

Registration includes access to the event app, all conference materials and CLE processing, continental breakfast, the networking reception, and lunch on Wednesday & Thursday.  The registration fee does not include travel or hotel costs.

Registration Fees

AIPLA Regular Members:  $495
AIPLA Solo Members: $395
AIPLA Junior and IP Paralegal Members: $295
AIPLA Government, Academic, & Student Members: $99

Non-Members: $895 - join as an AIPLA member, and be eligible for the registration rates above.

Venue & Hotel Details

The Boot Camp will be held at the
AIPLA Headquarters
1400 Crystal Drive, Suite 600
Arlington, VA 22202

Hotels within walking distance of the event:

Speakers

• Whipps, Brian C.

  Mueting Raasch Group | Partner

  Serving innovators for over 20 years and protecting inventions around the world. Brian specializes in worldwide patent filing strategies for disruptive technology. He has developed relationships with governmental and non-governmental IP organizations around the globe. Currently he serves as the AIPLA Chair of the International and Foreign Law committee. Previously he served as the AIPLA vice-Chair of the Harmonization committee, and the AIPLA co-Chair of the IP Practice in Europe committee.
• Moran, Ricardo

  Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner | Principal

  Ricardo Moran is a registered patent attorney practicing intellectual property law with an emphasis on small-molecule pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals and their formulations; imaging agents; and materials science. Dr. Moran’s practice focuses on chemical and pharmaceutical intellectual property law, including pharmaceutical patent litigation; preparation and prosecution of patent applications; infringement, validity, patentability, and due diligence analyses and opinions; and counseling of clients in a wide range of aspects of intellectual property law.
• Stoll, Robert L.

  Stoll Patent Consulting and Expert Testimony, LLC | Founder

  Robert “Bob” Stoll is a passionate advocate and expert on patent issues with four decades of service in the intellectual property universe. He negotiated international treaties on behalf of the United States, led the 8,000-person patent corps of the USPTO, and worked to improve the patent system for all Americans. Bob’s unique leadership and creativity in the development and protection of IP policy and rights have prepared him for his role as a uniquely qualified expert and consultant in patent matters.
• Curtis, Anthony

  Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner | Attorney

  Tony Curtis is a registered patent attorney at Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner. His practice includes patent procurement, portfolio management and strategic counseling in a wide range of electrical, software, and mechanical technologies.
• Zinkl, Gregory

  Genetech | Senior Patent Counsel

  Gregory Zinkl, Ph.D. Greg is a cell biologist and registered patent attorney practicing intellectual property law with an emphasis on large-molecule pharmaceuticals and associated technologies. He currently works for Genentech, Inc., as Senior Counsel Specialist, Assistant General Counsel, where he is a member of the Platforms Team in the Technology Practice Group. His current practice includes patent portfolio management and strategy, patent prosecution, IP counseling, due diligence, and transactional matters. Greg is admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and the Illinois State Bar and California State Bar (the latter as Registered In-House Counsel (RIHC)).
• Osterbur, Stefan D.

  Van Hoven PC | Partner

  Stefan is co-chair of the 2025 AIPLA Patent Prosecution Boot Camp. Stefan is a partner with Van Hoven P.C., and routinely counsels clients on a wide variety of intellectual property matters, including domestic and foreign prosecution of utility and design patent applications, intellectual property portfolio management, infringement and clearance issues, and intellectual property transactions. Stefan's legal practice also focuses on preparing legal opinions concerning patent infringement and validity, trade secrets, and intellectual property litigation. He also has experience in federal court actions and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, such as Reexaminations and Post Grant Review.
• Becker, Jordan

  Van Hoven PC | Partner

  Jordan Becker has 30 years of experience as a patent lawyer, successfully obtaining thousands of patents for his clients across a wide range of technologies, including software, electronics, and mechanical devices. As a trusted advisor to startups and public companies, Jordan focuses on patenting cutting-edge, high-tech inventions. He loves science and technology, and is passionate about using his skills and experience to give his clients a competitive advantage in the marketplace. To protect their investments in research and development (R&D), Jordan develops customized patent strategies, applies for and obtains patents, and builds patent portfolios that support his clients’ business goals.
• Richards, Marc

  Crowell & Moring LLP | Partner

  Marc Richards is a partner with Crowell & Moring LLP – With more than 25 years of experience in IP law, Marc Richards has helped secure and defend the innovations for the world’s largest high performing companies and for the newest high tech start-ups. His current practice focuses on assisting clients in developing and managing patent portfolios in emerging technologies such as, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, block chain technology, and cloud computing. As a seasoned patent attorney, his experience in litigation, patent office inter partes proceedings and patent prosecution translates into confident navigation of complex intellectual property matters.
• Akhlagi, Babak

  Managing Director | NovoTech Patent Firm

  Babak Akhlaghi serves as the Managing Director of NovoTech Patent Firm, an intellectual property law firm based in Washington, D.C. Distinguished for his expertise in patent law, Mr. Akhlaghi focuses his practice on patent preparation and prosecution, particularly within the fields of electrical engineering and computer science. He has successfully secured patents for groundbreaking technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, medical devices, semiconductors, and mobile applications.
• Lieberman, Rochelle "Rocky"

  Lieberman & Brandsdorfer, LLC | Founding Member

  Rochelle Lieberman, also known as Rocky, is a founding member of the law firm of Lieberman & Brandsdorfer, LLC. Rocky is a registered patent attorney with 30 years of experience in the field, including both private practice and as a patent examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Rocky’s practice is directed at patent searching, opinions, preparation, and prosecution, representing clients in the technical areas of mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering, and computer science, including artificial intelligence and machine learning.
• Hirshfeld, Drew

  Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner | Principal

  Mr. Hirshfeld was a long-tenured employee of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and was named one of Managing IP’s Top 50 Most Influential People in IP in 2021 (Managing IP is part of the Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC group). Mr. Hirshfeld began his career at the USPTO as a Patent Examiner in 1994, and has held a variety of senior management positions. He was named Commissioner for Patents in 2015, and performed the functions and duties of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO from January 2021 to April 2022. Most recently, Mr. Hirshfeld served as Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Deputy Director.
• Hjelle, Lucas

  Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner, PA | Principal

  Lucas Hjelle has been a patent attorney at Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner for the last twelve years. Lucas received his B.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, with a focus on digital signal processing and location-based technologies. He then worked full-time in Electrical Engineering and Aerospace for over ten years, including hardware engineering at LinksPoint (Norwalk, CT), GPS and INS engineering at Draper Laboratory (Cambridge, MA), and Senior Navigation Engineer at Honeywell (Minneapolis, MN). Lucas received his J.D. degree from William Mitchell College of Law, with a focus on Intellectual Property and legal research.
• Norton, Vicki

  Duane Morris LLP | Partner

  Vicki G. Norton, Ph.D., served as Chair of the AIPLA Biotech Committee from 2017-2019, and is the Chair of the IP Life Sciences division and Team Lead for the Life Sciences Industry Group at Duane Morris, where she provides strategic IP counseling, devises strategies for clients to successfully counter patent claims and demands, performs IP diligence for partnering and funding opportunities, and has formulated worldwide patent strategies for clients entering public markets with valuations of over $6 billion. Duane Morris has been named a Juristat 2021 top patent firm for art unit 1600.
• Cassell, Justin

  Workman Nydegger | Shareholder

  Justin Cassell provides legal counsel to clients on a wide array of patent matters, encompassing patent procurement, opinion formulation, and licensing agreements. He has drafted and prosecuted many patent applications in close collaboration with inventors, effectively facilitating the transition of PCT national stage applications into the United States. Furthermore, he maintains close cooperation with foreign counsel regarding national stage applications submitted to patent offices outside of the United States.
• Stephenson, Adam R.

  Adam R. Stephenson, LTD | Patent Attorney

  Adam Stephenson is founder of Adam R. Stephenson, LTD., a boutique IP firm located in Scottsdale, AZ. Adam is the Chair of the ex parte Appeals subcommittee of the Patent Law Committee of AIPLA, a member of the Appeals to the PTAB Committee of the PTAB Bar Association, and a member of the Patent Office Practice Committee of IPO. Adam’s interest in ex parte appeals led him to co-found a company that developed the first commercial database of ex parte appeals decisions and reflects an interest that began in law school about the use of Examiner statistics to aid patent prosecution work.
• Parker, Usha

  Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, PC | Counsel

  Usha Parker focuses her practice on all aspects of patent prosecution related to electrical and mechanical technologies. Usha helps clients protect their intellectual property from the application drafting stage to prosecution before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and, when needed, through appeal before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). With over a decade of experience working as an engineer at Motorola and at a Navy lab in a variety of areas, Usha effectively and efficiently understands complex inventions. She also prioritizes learning each client’s business goals to develop a strategic approach to protecting their IP. Usha particularly enjoys working with inventors to draft new applications and guide them throughout the patenting process. Usha’s areas of technical experience include wireless communication, electronic circuits and interconnects, automotive sensor and processing systems, consumer and medical devices, semiconductors and integrated circuit design, machine learning, and software.
• Irving, Thomas L.

  The Marbury Law Group, PLLC | Senior Partner

  Tom Irving is Senior Partner at the Marbury Law Group, after a 47-year career at the world-famous Finnegan firm. Tom practices U.S. patent law, including but not limited to patent law experting in district court litigations, due diligence, counseling, strategy, rendering opinions on inventorship and ownership, patentability, validity and freedom to operate, patent preparation and prosecution in the Chemical and Life Science arts and listing approved drug products and methods of treatment in FDA’s Orange Book.. Tom obtained his undergraduate B.A, degree in chemistry at the University of Utah in 1974. Tom received his law degree from The Duke University School of Law in 1977. Tom is entering his 50th year in the U.S. patent law business and in the very early years was mentored by P.J. Federico, who co-wrote the 1952 Patent Act with Judge Rich.
• Kwong, Stephanie

  Abbott Laboratories | Senior IP Counsel

  Stephanie Kwong has been working in the patent prosecution field for over 17 years. She is currently Senior Intellectual Property Counsel at Abbott Laboratories in Plymouth, Minnesota within their structural heart division. Prior to her in-house position, she worked at Twin Cities law firms and enjoyed a diverse practice encompassing patent prosecution, trademark prosecution, patentability analysis, FTO, due diligence and competitive monitoring. She currently serves as the President of the Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association.
• Morozova, Yelena

  Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP | Partner

  Yelena Morozova is a partner in the London office of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP / Finnegan Europe LLP. With a professional career spanning across three countries and twenty years of legal experience across two continents, Yelena’s unique background enables her to understand cultural nuances and helps her to advise a broad range of clients across the world. Qualified as a patent attorney in the United States and Europe, Yelena focuses her practice on global patent procurement and portfolio development in all fields of engineering, and most particularly in information technology and software, AI, self-driving vehicles, electric battery systems, and eVTOL aircrafts.
• Fischer, Ury

  Lott & Fischer, PL | Founding Partner

  Ury Fischer is a founding partner of Lott & Fischer. Mr. Fischer dedicates his practice to patent and trademark procurement and intellectual property litigation. Mr. Fischer’s patent procurement practice concentrates in the areas of mechanical and electrical arts, software and business methods. Mr. Fischer has represented a diverse group of U.S. and foreign-based clients in patent, trademark, copyright and computer law litigation matters.
• Rogers, Jennifer

  Shumaker & Sieffert, P.A | Partner

  Jennifer Rogers is a registered patent attorney and Principal at the law firm of Shumaker & Sieffert, P.A. Her law practice focuses on patent preparation, patent prosecution before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and foreign offices, and client counseling, in the areas of software and electronics. Jennifer has drafted and prosecuted patent applications that cover a wide variety of computer- and software-related technologies, including data compression, computer networks, computer security, mobile devices, radio-frequency identification, and others.
• Uribe, Mauricio

  Knobbe Martens | Partner

  Mauricio Uribe is the Chair of the Software/IT and Electrical practice groups at Knobbe Martens. Mauricio has extensive experience in comprehensive client counseling in all aspects of intellectual property law. Mauricio is well versed in patent prosecution matters and portfolio development, especially in software, electrical and telecommunication technologies. He has counseled various clients on patent and technology licensing matters, including standards essential patent licensing. Mauricio is a frequent lecturer and author on intellectual property topics and emerging technologies, including Generative AI policies and intellectual property.
• Polson, Margaret

  Polson Intellectual Property Law | Founder and Principal Attorney

  Margaret Polson is founder and principal attorney for Polson Intellectual Property Law. Overseeing the preparation and prosecution of utility and design patent applications, trademarks, and copyrights, she also assists clients with licensing and intellectual property strategy and management.
• Baker, W. Todd

  Kirkland & Ellis | Partner

  W. Todd Baker is an IP litigation partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Todd is experienced handling post-grant matters at the USPTO including all aspects of IPR proceedings at the USPTO's Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). He advises clients on issues of patentability, derivation, inventorship and priority related to post grant matters before the PTAB as a supplement or an alternative to traditional litigation-based patent validity challenges.
• Pytel, Melissa

  Entrada Therapeutics | Head of Intellectual Property

  Melissa Pytel is the Head of Intellectual Property at Entrada Therapeutics and has over 25 years of experience in intellectual property law. She has served as a both in-house counsel and outside counsel in the life sciences industry with a focus on biotechnology, small molecule pharmaceuticals and medical devices and has successfully advised companies ranging from biotech and medical device startups to multinational corporations. Melissa has extensive experience in developing and executing IP strategies that align with business objectives, helping companies navigate complex patent landscapes to secure competitive advantage and optimize portfolio value. Her expertise includes patent prosecution, due diligence, freedom-to-operate analyses, licensing and IP transactions.
• Randall, David A.

  Orbit IP | Partner

  David is a registered patent attorney with over 25 years of experience. He has represented clients in a variety of intellectual property matters, including patent, trademark and trade secret litigation throughout the United States, as well as multi-jurisdictional matters.
• Nikhanj, Rakhi

  Mueting, Raasch & Gebhardt | Shareholder

  Rakhi Nikhanj is a Shareholder at Mueting Raasch Group in Minneapolis, MN, and is a registered patent attorney with 17 years of experience advocating for her clients ranging from fortune 500 companies to start-up companies and individual inventors. Her patent work spans technical areas such as medical devices, high technology filters, software, material science, acoustics, sensors, and radio frequency and other communication systems.
• Andreoli, Angelica

  Shook Hardy & Bacon | Patent Attorney

  Angelica’s practice focuses on patent prosecution and intellectual property counseling. She represents clients in all aspects of preparation and prosecution of U.S. and international patent applications in a number of diverse technology areas. Angelica is committed to assisting clients in acquiring, protecting and enforcing their intellectual property rights across various technological domains. These include computer software and technology; artificial intelligence, including large language models; life sciences; biotechnology; telecommunications; scanning devices; and mechanical arts. Her knowledge and experiences have equipped her to navigate complex patent matters with precision and proficiency. Angelica currently serves on secondment for a multinational e-commerce company. Before becoming an attorney, Angelica practiced patent prosecution at IBM as an intern, and was an analytical chemist for five years at Boron Specialties. While at Boron, she performed chemical analyses on hydrogen-based drone fuel, a chemical for lithium batteries, and bullet coatings using various methods including a 500 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) instrument, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and chromatography. While in law school, Angelica earned the highest grade in her AI Law class for her paper on quantum computers.

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