James Hietala

About James Hietala

I draw on nearly two decades of expertise in intellectual property law to provide unique strategic insights to clients. My capabilities stem from his work as in-house counsel in charge of patent office litigation and appeals coupled with my experience as a private practice district court litigator on dozens of cases. My extensive knowledge in the IP arena allows me to consider business conditions, pending and future cases, and the merits of the matters to reach viable strategies for clients. I am a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP). Equal to my legal expertise is my deep technological background in complex electrical and mechanical inventions and telecommunications that I honed while working at Lucent Technologies after my undergraduate education. I have been active in the legal community, serving as a mentor as both a moot court instructor at the University of Minnesota Law School and as a coach for AIPLA Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition teams. Additionally, I write on ediscovery and present frequently on patent office litigation. I co-authored a paper for IPO on claim construction that the USPTO cited 5 times in its October 2018 Rulemaking. I received my JD from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where I served as a senior editor of the Law Review. I earned a B. Eng. with high honor in computer engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and is a member of the Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu honor societies. I am admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia, the state of Washington, the State of Minnesota, and the United States Patent & Trademark Office.

Experience

1. Counsel

   Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox

   Sep 2020 — Present

   My practice focuses on patent litigation strategy. I represent clients at the USPTO, the ITC, and federal district courts.

Education

• University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

  JD, Law

  2003 — 2006

• Stevens Institute of Technology

  BEng, Computer Engineering

  1996 — 2000