The Office of the Solicitor serves as legal counsel to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on intellectual property law matters.  The Solicitor’s Office also works in collaboration with the Department of Commerce on interagency intellectual property law matters.  The Deputy General Counsel for Intellectual Property Law and Solicitor is Raymond T. Chen.

The Solicitor’s Office primary responsibilities include:

• Defends decisions by the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the federal district courts
• Represents the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO (Director) in district court actions that are filed against the USPTO pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act (APA)
• Provides legal advice on intellectual property law policy and regulation
• Prosecutes attorneys and agents who practice before the agency for alleged ethical violation
• Defends USPTO employees at deposition
• Maintains the Solicitor’s Office Law Library

Solicitor:

Raymond T. Chen

Attorneys:

Janet Gongola

Christina Hieber
Ronald Jaicks
William Jenks
Sydney Johnson
Nathan Kelley
Mary Kelly
Thomas Krause
William LaMarca
Frances Lynch
Robert McManus
Joseph Piccolo
Kristi Sawert
Thomas Shaw
Thomas Stoll
Scott Weidenfeller
Benjamin Wood

Paralegal Supervisor:

Danita Ingram

Paralegals:

Kyra Abraham
Kelly Boudreau
Theresa Cappo
Macia Fletcher
Tawana Hawkins