The IP Strategy Summit: Chicago

Andrew Turner serves as Co-Chair of Brooks Kushman’s Post-Grant Proceedings practice and has represented parties in over 55 post-grant proceedings and over 25 post-grant related appeals to the Federal Circuit. He is a registered patent attorney with over 17 years of patent experience and holds degrees in both electrical and mechanical engineering. Andrew’s practice focuses on post-grant proceedings, patent prosecution, and patent portfolio management for clients in diverse technical areas including automotive systems, audio and lighting systems, exercise equipment, and children’s toys. Prior to his legal career, Andrew was an engineer in the automotive industry.

Christine Falaschetti is an experienced intellectual property professional serving as Associate Director of Intellectual Property at Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on therapies for neurological conditions. In her role, she leads and supports patent strategy, patent prosecution, and portfolio management to protect innovation and enable the company’s research and development objectives.

Falaschetti brings more than 11 years of experience in patent prosecution and IP counseling across technology and science-driven sectors. She has a strong foundation in developing IP strategies that align with business goals and provides legal and technical guidance across the innovation lifecycle.

She earned her degree from Northwestern University, where she developed her technical and analytical expertise—skills that underpin her approach to managing complex intellectual property challenges in the pharmaceutical and life sciences space.

Based in the U.S., Falaschetti’s work helps safeguard Amylyx’s intellectual assets and supports the company’s mission to advance treatments through strategic protection of scientific discoveries.

Rebecca Aumann serves as Intellectual Property Counsel at The Jackson Laboratory, a nonprofit biomedical research institution focused on genetics and genomics. In this role, she provides strategic legal support on patent strategy, trademark matters, licensing, and other aspects of intellectual property that protect and enable the laboratory’s scientific and technological innovations.

Her work involves collaborating with research and business teams to manage IP risks, support technology transfer, and align the intellectual property portfolio with institutional research and commercialization goals. Prior to this role, Aumann’s professional path includes work intersecting science, technology, and legal strategy, as evidenced by her involvement in patent filings in scientific and technical domains.

Anthoula Pomrening is Group Technology Counsel at Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW), where she leads intellectual property strategy, including patent portfolio management, prosecution, and enforcement across diverse technologies critical to the company’s global industrial innovation. In this role, Pomrening partners with technologists and business leaders to protect and leverage IP assets that support ITW’s competitive position.

Pomrening has deep experience in patent and trademark practice, spanning procurement, protection, and litigation matters across a broad range of technical fields. Prior to her current position, she built a strong foundation in private practice and in-house IP roles, advising on complex patent strategy and managing portfolios for technology-driven businesses.

She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology (1989) and a J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law (1999). Pomrening remains active in professional circles and has served on advisory committees within the intellectual property community, reflecting her commitment to both legal excellence and mentorship.

Zhaoying (Dorothy) Du is the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Power Solutions International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PSIX), a leader in advanced, emission-certified engines, power systems, and accessories. PSI provides integrated solutions to global original equipment manufacturers and end users across the power systems, industrial, and transportation markets, and develops products and packages supporting the rapidly growing data center sector.

Previously, Dorothy led the global supply chain legal team at Lenovo, supporting procurement operations across more than 30 manufacturing sites in 11 markets serving 180 countries. She advised senior leaders on supply chain resilience, cross-border procurement, international trade compliance, regulatory risk, and contract negotiations, helping the company navigate evolving geopolitical challenges and implement responsible sourcing strategies.

Before that, Dorothy was global head of legal at Motorola Mobility, a Lenovo company, overseeing a broad range of legal matters including AI, global R&D, intellectual property, compliance, privacy, corporate governance, government relations, and litigation. With 20 years of legal experience, she also served as General Counsel for the China operations of a U.S.-based international insurance company and co-chaired the Asian-Pacific Practice Group at a global law firm.

Prior to March 2025, Dorothy led the global legal team of Motorola Mobility, a Lenovo company, and was responsible for overseeing and advising on various legal matters across the organization. Her vast scope includes AI, global product R&D, hardware and software matters, intellectual property, compliance, data privacy and security, sales and marketing, corporate governance, government relations and the overall supervision of litigation matters with support from Motorola’s global legal team.

Dorothy has 20 years of experience in providing legal advice to international companies. Before joining Motorola, she led the compliance and risk management functions of a US-based international insurance company and served as general counsel of that company’s China operation. Before that, she was co-chair of the Asian-Pacific Practice Group of a renowned law firm. In this role, she advised companies on international transactions, mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, financing, securities, private equity, startups, subsidiary and joint-venture operations, and compliance.

Amol Parikh is a trusted advisor and courtroom advocate focused on intellectual property litigation, counseling, and procurement. Known for his ability to translate complex technical issues into winning legal strategies, Amol combines deep engineering knowledge with extensive trial and appellate experience to deliver results that align with his clients’ business goals. His work has earned consistent recognition, including the International Law Office’s prestigious “Client Choice Award” for Intellectual Property in Illinois— an honor based solely on nominations from corporate counsel for exceptional client service and measurable business impact. Amol represents leading technology companies in high-stakes patent and trade secret disputes across US district courts, the International Trade Commission (ITC) and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Beyond litigation and prosecution, Amol advises clients on comprehensive intellectual property asset management, including trade secret protection strategies and internal safeguards.

George Pappas is a senior, product-focused in-house attorney with a global track record advising engineering-led organizations on shipping sophisticated, data-intensive technologies responsibly and at scale. He serves as a primary legal advisor across the product lifecycle—from early ideation and architecture through launch and commercialization—partnering closely with product, engineering, security, privacy, and business stakeholders.

At International Motors (TRATON/Volkswagen Group), George supports connected-vehicle and telematics programs where AI/ML and data-driven systems are central to product value. His work includes structuring IP ownership and data rights for analytics and model-driven outputs, protecting trade secrets and confidential information in AI workflows, and negotiating vendor and customer agreements across both direct and indirect procurement. He routinely advises on privacy, data protection, platform governance, and open-source compliance, with a focus on clear, scalable contractual frameworks and playbooks.

George brings a rare technical foundation to IP strategy: earlier in his career he worked as a digital design engineer and served as a U.S. Patent Examiner, enabling deep engagement with engineers on inventorship, originality, authorship, and protectability questions. He has held senior legal roles at Motorola, Qualcomm, and Volvo Cars, and also practiced at top-tier law firms advising on IP, licensing, litigation, M&A, and technology strategy.

Amy Keenan is Senior Corporate Counsel at Camping World Holdings, Inc., where she leads legal support in trademark, regulatory, marketing, and related intellectual property matters for one of the leading outdoor lifestyle and RV retail companies. In her role, she advises on brand protection, marketing compliance, commercial contracts, and risk mitigation to support Camping World’s business and growth initiatives.

Keenan brings deep experience in trademark and regulatory law, having previously served as Senior Legal Counsel at Elevance Health (formerly part of Anthem, Inc.), where she focused on trademark and related legal issues for many years. She has also been active in professional legal organizations, including leadership roles with the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Chicago Chapter and participation on committees of the International Trademark Association (INTA).

She earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Butler University, grounding her practice in both analytical rigor and practical business orientation. Keenan is licensed to practice law in Illinois and based in Chicago.

Steve Fisher-Stawinski is the Program Manager for Patent Strategy & Defense and IP External Submissions at IBM.  His portfolio includes steering patent portfolio strategy for the enterprise, guiding the inventor program, and pre-litigation patent in-licensing.  Previously, Steve developed out-license and assignment deals in IBM’s patent monetization organization.  Before coming to licensing nearly a decade ago, Steve was an in-house patent prosecutor at IBM and before that in a small law firm setting.  Steve holds a JD from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago and a BA in Computer Science from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Steve is based in Chicago’s northwest suburbs where he lives with his wife, two teenage children, and two toy poodles.  His hobbies include DIY home improvement, cocktail mixology, and tabletop roleplaying games.

Ian Soule is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Mechanical & Design Practice Group. His work includes the strategic preparation and prosecution of high-value patent applications for various mechanical, electromechanical, software-based, and biomedical technologies for a variety of clients. His current area of focus is in managing complex global portfolios in need of development to get them ready for monetization efforts—while PTAB-proofing the issuing claims. His experience on both sides of enforcement/PTAB actions brings a unique and valued perspective to both global prosecution strategy development and client counselling as a burgeoning trusted business advisor.

Scott Garnick is Global Head of Legal Transformation — General Transactions at HERE Technologies, a leading global location-technology company. In this role, he leads initiatives to modernize legal operations, drive strategic process improvements, and integrate emerging technologies into legal workflows. He also negotiates complex commercial and technology agreements, including global licensing transactions, and serves as a trusted advisor within HERE’s leadership team.

Garnick plays a key role in shaping the company’s approach to legal risk and innovation, including participation on HERE’s internal AI strategy team, where he collaborates with product, privacy, and trust stakeholders to develop governance frameworks and “guardrails” for AI-related matters.

Before joining HERE Technologies, Garnick held legal roles at Accenture, where he negotiated technology and consulting agreements, and at Centene Corporation, where he worked on healthcare regulatory compliance matters.

As the CEO and co-founder of Tradespace, Alec Sorensen sets our company vision and sells it to our clients and employees. Alec came to the world of IP by way of M&A consulting. Eventually, he turned that work into managing the IP commercialization practice at leading aerospace and defense consulting firm Avascent. There, he generated over $250M in IP monetization deals for Fortune 500 companies like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, IBM, and others. Alec’s greatest hope for Tradespace is that it helps IP and its professionals find more of the recognition they deserve.

Justin’s focus at Tradespace is on helping us scale sustainably. Prior to this role, he was in-house IP and patent counsel for KPMG, LLP and also co-founded KPMG’s externally-focused IP Consulting practice. Justin blends 20+ years of experience across law firm, in-house, corporate strategy, and growth roles. A multi- year member of the IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists list, he has a BA, JD and MS, Technology Entrepreneurship (ABT), all from Case Western Reserve University. Justin lives near Washington, D.C. and is an avid photographer.

Ajay A. Jagtiani possesses 27 years of experience in all phases of patent prosecution, including patentability, validity and infringement opinions, procurement of international patents, client counseling, licensing, agreement negotiations, and mergers/acquisitions.

Ajay supports numerous clients in biotechnology, including diagnostics, genomics, immunotherapy, proteomics, pharmaceuticals and other microbiology techniques. He has extensive experience in the academic world, providing assistance in intellectual property matters and technology transfer to educational institutions around the globe.

In the state arena, he has advised the Secretary of Technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia regarding intellectual property matters, and he has drafted proposed intellectual property legislation.

At the federal level, Ajay has advised such government agencies and laboratories as the Department of Energy, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Mines, Naval Medical Research and Development Command, Naval Command and Control Center, NASA, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, and the Naval Research Laboratory.

Ron DiCerbo is a Shareholder at McAndrews. He joined the firm in 1996 and has been active in all aspects of the firm’s intellectual property practice.

His primary focus is on trademark and design rights, both in the U.S. and internationally. Based on over twenty years of experience, Ron works with clients to develop strategies for obtaining, maintaining, and enforcing robust trademark, design patent, and copyright portfolios.

Ron’s approach often alters the way clients view and address IP rights. His proactive approach emphasizes comprehensive due diligence and focuses on strategic filings. This helps Ron’s clients improve their acquisition of IP rights and reduce the number of infringement allegations they must address.

He represents plaintiffs and defendants in patent, trademark, and unfair competition litigation. He has extensive experience with all pretrial, trial, and post-trial activities in the state and federal courts. In addition, Ron has represented clients in proceedings before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and in trademark proceedings before trademark offices in Europe, Australia, and South Africa.

In addition to his legal practice, Ron actively provides pro bono legal assistance to clients in all areas of art, culture, media, and entertainment through Lawyers for the Creative Arts. He is recognized in World Trademark Review’s WTR 1000 as a recommended trademark attorney.

Prior to his legal career, Ron was a chemical engineer for FMC Corporation in its industrial chemicals and phosphorus chemicals groups. There, he specialized in production optimization, new product development, and improving existing technology.

Erin Bowles is an experienced patent attorney with a well-rounded background in counseling domestic and international clients. She applies her industry experience and expansive understanding of mechanical, material and electrical technologies to her practice. Erin’s practice involves counseling domestic and international clients from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies on their intellectual property portfolios, with a focus on obtaining domestic and foreign patents and handling patent prosecution procedures. Her practice also includes patentability investigations, infringement and right-to-use analysis, and intellectual property transactions and licensing agreements, trademark, trade dress, and copyright issues. Erin has an expansive understanding of various mechanical and electromechanical technologies. In particular, she has experience representing clients and protecting intellectual property rights in the alternative energy, medical device, automotive technology, optics and lighting, aviation technology, and personal care product industries, among others. Erin brings nearly a decade of engineering experience to her law practice. During this time, Erin gained technical experience in a broad range of positions including product design, manufacturing, program management and technical sales. These experiences provide Erin with an expansive understanding of broad range of technologies such as solar power, plastic injection molding, and complex automotive sensors and control systems. While working for major international companies, Erin’s involvement extended beyond daily engineering activities and crossed international boundaries. For example, Erin managed the development of advanced components from a network of global facilities and coordinated with foreign subsidiaries to design and manufacture products for international programs. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, Erin worked at an intellectual property firm, as well as in the legal department of an automotive original equipment manufacturer. She also studied international patent law at the Max Plank Institute in Munich. While in Munich, Erin learned about the patent process at the European Patent Office and met with the intellectual property departments of several international companies. This combination of diverse experiences provides Erin with an excellent understanding of the many aspects of intellectual property. Moreover, Erin’s experience gives her insight into the intellectual property management challenges for both domestic and international companies in today`s global marketplace. When she is not at the office, you are most likely to find Erin on the water paddle boarding, waterskiing, wake surfing, kiteboarding, or pretty much any water sport. She also enjoys travelling, and her goal is to visit a new country every year.

Glenn Forbis is a Chambers®-rated litigator and the leader of Harness IP’s Litigation Practice Group. With more than 200 intellectual property cases handled across the country—including 18 Federal Circuit appeals (15 favorable results) and 9 cases to verdict—he is known for developing focused strategies and delivering persuasive presentations in court. Glenn has secured numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements for clients in patent, trademark, and copyright matters, including a string of favorable jury verdicts in recent years. He is regularly recognized by Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Managing Intellectual Property, and AIM as one of the nation’s leading IP litigators.

Christine is Assistant General Counsel, IP Legal at Astellas, where she supports commercialization of pharmaceutical products in international markets. In addition, she provides strategic patent portfolio management and supports M&A activity and commercial contract negotiations for pharmaceutical products currently in development. She also serves as the IP delegate to Astellas’s government affairs group. Prior to joining Astellas, Christine spent 15 years in private practice representing IP clients covering the full range of a drug’s lifecycle, ranging from NIH and startup operations through generic-side Hatch Waxman litigation. She graduated from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and has a bachelor’s degree in biology from University of Chicago.