Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Expands Patent Practice

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, today announced that Bruce Kisliuk, the former Deputy Commissioner for Patent Administration at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), has joined the firm as a senior patent counselor. He will be based in the Washington, D.C., office.

"With more than 30 years of intellectual property experience at the USPTO, including service in a variety of senior leadership roles, Bruce has an in-depth understanding of patent filing and patent exam procedures to complement his broad scientific background," said Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati partner Vern Norviel, who leads the patents and innovation counseling practice. "His familiarity with biotechnology, organic chemistry, nanotechnology, and pharmaceutical discoveries makes him a valuable resource for our clients. We're very pleased that he's joining our experienced team of patent professionals."

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's patents and innovation counseling practice has more than 120 professionals, including nearly 60 attorneys and more than 60 patent agents and scientific advisors. Many of the firm's patent practitioners have advanced degrees in biology, chemistry, engineering, or other scientific fields, as well as experience in the areas of life sciences, clean technology, electronics, medical devices, and software. Kisliuk is one of several former USPTO executives who have joined the firm's patents and intellectual property counseling practice since 2005. Others include chief patent counselor Esther Kepplinger, who also was formerly a USPTO Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations; Of Counsel Jasemine Chambers, previously a Deputy Administrator in the Office of Policy and External Affairs; Of Counsel Rick Torczon, a former Administrative Patent Judge; and patent counselor Cecilia Tsang, previously a supervisory patent and special program examiner.

As Deputy Commissioner for Patent Administration from 2012 to 2015, Kisliuk served as the Patent Organization's chief financial officer and oversaw the formulation and execution of the organization's $1.7 billion budget. He also managed all aspects of the Patent Organization's information technology management, partnering with the chief information officer to develop patent examiner systems and examination tools. In addition, Kisliuk oversaw customer outreach activities, specifically targeting intellectual property education and support for independent inventors, universities, and small businesses. In 2013, he led the agency's implementation of the Cooperative Patent Classification system, a new global patent classification system bilaterally developed and operated by the USPTO and the European Patent Office.

Kisliuk previously served as Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations from 2008 to 2012, during which time he oversaw multiple Technology Centers—including Chemical Technology Centers 1600 and 1700, Electrical Technology Centers 2600 and 2800, and Mechanical Technology Centers 3600 and 3700—and was responsible for all aspects of their patent examining operations, practices, and procedures. In 2009, he was a key executive member of the task force that developed the first substantive changes to the patent-examiner credit system in more than 30 years, an accomplishment that earned the task force the Department of Commerce Silver Medal for Leadership.

Prior to becoming Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Kisliuk was the group director for Technology Center 1600, where he oversaw the examination of biotechnology, organic chemistry, and pharmaceutical patent applications. Earlier in his career, he was an executive assistant to the Commissioner for Patents, as well as a supervisory patent examiner for mechanical technologies, including medical devices.

Kisliuk earned a graduate certificate in advanced public management from Syracuse University in 2000. He earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from Lehigh University in 1981.

About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
For more than 50 years, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has offered a broad range of services and legal disciplines focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leader in the fields of corporate governance and finance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, securities litigation, employment law, intellectual property, and antitrust, among many other areas of law. With deep roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has offices in Austin; Beijing; Brussels; Hong Kong; Los Angeles; New York; Palo Alto; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Shanghai; Washington, D.C.; and Wilmington, DE. For more information, please visit www.wsgr.com.

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