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Overview

Heather helps clients secure patents for their innovations.

As much as she enjoyed working with new technologies, Heather realized as an undergraduate that engineering wasn’t quite the perfect field for her: unusual for a student in her major, she preferred writing lab reports to working in the lab itself. While she accepted a position as an electrical engineer at an HVAC manufacturing company after graduation, Heather knew her long-term plan was to pursue a career where she could combine her love of reading, writing, and research with her technical background and her passion for technology and innovation. After three years as an engineer, she enrolled in law school to become an intellectual property attorney.

Heather has worked in both patent prosecution and patent litigation, with the latter as her primary focus prior to joining Husch Blackwell. She previously provided both case management and trial strategy advice for ongoing patent litigation, worked with expert witnesses, and drafted technical reports and briefs. Upon joining the firm, she returned to prosecution work, assisting clients as they prepare patent applications and drafting responses to USPTO Office Actions. Heather’s background in electrical and computer engineering serves her well in working with clients in the electrical and electronics industries. She is especially focused on clients with battery powered systems and devices, and she has worked on IP portfolios related to Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices, as well as battery and electronically powered ground penetrating radar.

Heather’s litigation background prepared her well for patent prosecution. Her time as a litigator taught her how to break down patents and pick them apart, and the experience increased her skill at assembling the pieces of patent applications and at building patents that will withstand scrutiny. Heather is also known for her in-depth understanding of the minutiae of clients’ work: as a former engineer, she readily grasps how the tiniest tweak can completely change an invention, and she designs applications that capture every detail.

Services

Education

  • J.D., University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
  • B.S., Marquette University
    • Electrical and Computer Engineering

Admissions

  • Wisconsin
  • Illinois

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • Chicago Bar Association
  • Chicago Women in Intellectual Property (ChiWIP)
  • Milwaukee Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
Experience
  • Drafted technical reports, including briefs and expert witness reports, for ongoing patent litigation.
  • Advised in case management and trial strategy of ongoing patent litigation cases.
  • Conducted legal research for patent litigation and prepared memoranda with case analysis.
  • Drafted responses to USPTO Office Actions for patent applications and trademark applications for registration.
  • Prepared technical analysis for patent litigation.
  • Assists with IP portfolios related to IOT connected devices, as well as battery and electronically powered ground penetrating radar.
  • Drafted patent application for battery-powered radar detection device.
  • Assisted with transactional work related to the patent prosecution of IoT connected devices, including both battery-powered and those powered by traditional plugs.
  • Drafted freedom to operate opinion for hydro-electric water management solutions.
  • Assisted with transactional work related to the patent prosecution of jumbo mining machines.
  • Performed patent landscape search and analysis for the use of artificial intelligence in manufacturing of textiles.
  • Drafted patent application related to doorknob technology.
  • Played lead role in technical analysis for patent litigation (defense team) related to defense of patent infringement of electronically-powered mobile device mount.
  • Played lead role patent litigation (plaintiff team) technical analysis and strategy related to patent infringement of software as a service.
Outside the Office

Heather spends most of her free time with her husband, their toddler son, and the family dog, a French Bulldog named Potato. They enjoy the outdoors, skiing, and going for family walks and longer hikes. Heather and her family often travel to visit relatives in Illinois, Kentucky, and Colorado and are also frequent visitors to racetracks: her husband is a “car guy” who enjoys amateur racing.

Heather has also been a reptile fan since college, when her search for an animal that didn’t require an apartment pet fee led her to adopt her first lizard. She began attending national reptile conventions, where she discovered her now-favorite species, the Rhacodactylus “Leachie” Leachianus gecko, and jumped head-first into the world of gecko breeding. Heather and her husband still breed geckos for the domestic pet market today.