Instinctively IP was founded on a premise that is simple to state and rare in practice: the best IP counsel for technically demanding inventions is one who has lived inside the fields they protect — not one who has learned about them from the other side of a conference table. Registered Patent Attorney · USPTO · Certified Licensing Professional (CLP).
Most patent attorneys have a technical undergraduate degree. A much smaller number have advanced technical degrees with defined specializations. Vanishingly few have spent 16 years as a practicing electrical engineer — with a BSEE in biomedical engineering, an MSEE in telecommunications, undergraduate semiconductor coursework, and engineering internship experience — before ever walking into a law school classroom.
That engineering background was not a detour on the way to becoming a lawyer. It was the foundation — and it was built with remarkable breadth for a reason. A biomedical specialty at the undergraduate level means medical device inventors are speaking to an attorney who studied their field foundationally, not one reading about it for the first time. A telecommunications specialty at the graduate level means RF, wireless, and telecom inventors are working with someone who has graduate-level fluency in their domain before the first meeting. Undergraduate coursework in semiconductor design combined with hands-on internship experience in the field means chip and IC designers are not spending the first three conversations explaining fundamental concepts to their attorney.
Sixteen years of engineering practice in those fields — encountering the real constraints, the genuine moments of invention, and the technical judgment calls that separate incremental improvement from patentable novelty — produced the kind of engineering instinct that cannot be acquired from a textbook or a client intake call.
The decision to pursue a JD was a deliberate choice to combine that technical foundation with legal craftsmanship. Nine years of patent prosecution before the USPTO followed — drafting applications in electrical, electronic, AI, software, and telecommunications technologies, responding to office actions, developing the claim strategy that separates a patent that holds from one that does not.
The addition of a Master of Science in Finance and Economics was the final piece — reinforced by the Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) credential, awarded by Certified Licensing Professionals, Inc. The CLP is an internationally recognized certification for professionals engaged in licensing and technology transfer, requiring demonstrated expertise in valuation, negotiation, and the commercial structures that govern how IP moves between parties. Together, the MS Finance & Economics and the CLP credential add the analytical tools to think rigorously about what patent portfolios are actually worth, how licensing relationships should be structured, and how IP strategy connects to the financial decisions that determine whether innovation becomes a sustainable business.
Instinctively IP was built for clients — startups, individual inventors, and growth-stage technology companies — who want an attorney who engages with their technology at the deepest level, brings that understanding to every claim drafted and every strategic decision, and is personally accountable for the outcome from the first conversation to the issued patent.
There is a second dimension to why this firm exists. Large corporations protect their innovations as a matter of routine — they have legal departments, outside counsel on retainer, and budgets that absorb IP costs without disruption. Startups, individual inventors, and midsize companies face a different reality. The same fees that are routine for a large corporation can be burdensome for a company that needs that capital to fund its next development cycle. The result is that innovators either absorb those costs at the expense of growth, or they acquiesce — conceding ground to well-resourced competitors who can outspend them on legal protection. Instinctively IP was built to change that dynamic. Flat fee pricing for most work means clients know the cost before any engagement begins. That predictability is not just a convenience — it is a deliberate choice to keep more capital working toward innovation rather than toward legal fees.
These are not marketing statements. They are the principles that determine how work is done, what gets prioritized, and what clients can expect in every matter handled by Instinctively IP.
In deep technology fields, a patent attorney who does not deeply understand the invention cannot draft claims that fully capture it, respond to office actions with technical authority, or advise on strategy with credibility. Technical understanding is not a differentiator — it is a prerequisite for doing the work well. Sixteen years of engineering practice is what makes that understanding real at Instinctively IP.
Patent prosecution exists in service of a business objective — whether that is protecting a product, supporting a fundraising round, enabling a licensing program, or creating a competitive moat. Every filing decision, claim strategy choice, and portfolio recommendation should be made with that business objective clearly in view. The MS in Finance & Economics and the Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) credential are what make the economic reasoning behind those recommendations rigorous rather than intuitive — from initial strategy through licensing negotiation and portfolio valuation.
At large firms, client matters move through multiple hands — partners, associates, paralegals, each adding and losing context at every handoff. At Instinctively IP, every matter is handled personally, from the initial consultation through issuance. That is not a boutique amenity. It is the only way to maintain the engineering-level engagement that makes the work worth doing.
Large corporations protect their innovations as a matter of routine — the fees are absorbed and the process is managed by dedicated legal teams. Startups, individual inventors, and growth-stage companies deserve the same level of protection without having to choose between paying for it and funding the next stage of their innovation. Flat fee pricing for most work at Instinctively IP is a direct response to that reality — predictable costs, no open-ended billing, and more capital kept where it belongs.
Sixteen-plus years as a practicing electrical engineer with direct hands-on experience in technically demanding defense and aerospace environments. Performed system integration and testing of complex radar systems including system operation, fault analysis, and troubleshooting and resolution. Completed fault isolation of radar and electro-optical products from system to component level, including acceptance testing. Supported upgrade of system test sets through reverse engineering and design reevaluation. Worked on complex RF circuits, telecommunications architectures, and embedded server systems including OS configuration and hardware-software troubleshooting. Developed procedures, documentation, and qualification standards for product performance. This is the engineering foundation that makes every patent application and IP strategy recommendation credible at the deepest technical level.
Nine-plus years drafting and prosecuting patent applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, primarily in electrical, electronic, AI, software, and telecommunications technologies. Full prosecution lifecycle experience — from provisional applications through office action response, appeals, and continuation strategy — across both independent inventors and technology companies of varying sizes.
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (Biomedical specialty) · Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (Telecommunications specialty) · Undergraduate semiconductor design coursework & engineering internship · Juris Doctor · Master of Science in Finance & Economics · Certified Licensing Professional (CLP), Certified Licensing Professionals, Inc. A credential combination held by fewer than a handful of practicing patent attorneys in the United States — providing degree-level fluency across the seven technology fields that represent today's most active patent filing environments, paired with a nationally recognized certification in the commercial and economic dimensions of IP licensing.
A boutique intellectual property practice built for technology companies, individual inventors, and defense contractors across ten primary fields: AI & machine learning, robotics & automation, telecommunications, RF & wireless systems, radar & defense electronics, electro-optical systems, semiconductors, medical devices & health tech, clean energy & power electronics, and quantum computing. Engineering depth, prosecution experience, and economic perspective. Personally delivered, without delegation.
Initial consultations are complimentary and confidential. No junior associates, no intake forms — just a direct conversation about your invention and your goals.