Brent Whitlock combines his entrepreneurial and technical backgrounds with more than a decade of experience in patent prosecution — first as a patent agent and then as an attorney — to help clients protect their intellectual property.

The primary emphasis of his practice is on patent prosecution and litigation. He also helps clients protect their brands and creative expression through trademark and copyright registration. He counsels clients on a variety of intellectual property issues, and develops strategies to assist clients build their patent portfolios and protect their brands.

Admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 2007, Brent has extensive experience preparing, filing, and prosecuting patent applications. He also has experience with international and foreign patent applications, as well as post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeals Board. He has prosecuted patents in a wide range of technical areas including computer software and hardware, communication systems, electronics, semiconductor fabrication, electronic design automation (EDA), optics and photonics, laser systems, energy, and aerospace.

Prior to his career in patent law, Brent was a principal and director of optical systems at startup company RSoft Design Group Inc. (now part of Synopsys Inc.), where he spearheaded the development of RSoft’s suite of optical communication system simulation tools based on his doctoral research. He was also principal investigator on numerous federally awarded research programs and collaborated with researchers in other organizations.

Brent earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law. He is a published author and international speaker with dozens of publications and professional presentations to his credit.