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 Farheena Rasheed.
Among other responsibilities, the Office of the Solicitor
- Defends decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) 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 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 violations
- Defends USPTO employees at deposition
Office of the Solicitor staff | |
|---|---|
Deputy General Counsel for Intellectual Property Law and Solicitor: | Rasheed, Farheena Y. |
| Deputy Solicitor: | Nelson, Amy |
| Senior Counsel for Patent Law and Litigation: | Ayers, Peter |
| Senior Counsel for Patent Policy and Litigation: | |
| Senior Counsel for Trademark Policy and Litigation: | Hieber, Christina J. |
| Special Counsel for Intellectual Property Litigation: | LaMarca, William |
| Senior Counsel for Enrollment and Discipline Litigation: | Johnson, Jr. Sydney O. |
| Senior IP Legal Counsel: | McManus, Robert J. |
Administrative Management Specialist: | Nicholson, Tasha |
Attorneys: | Amin, Omar |
Supervisory Paralegal: | Walter, Shane |
Paralegals: | Domenico, Michael |
Law Librarian: | Kennedy, Laura |
Legal Assistants: | Barnett, Breonia Gibson, Darryl Willis, Tiffany |