Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP

Partner

Tom is Chair of our Mechanical Engineering Practice Group and has practiced intellectual property law for more than a decade. As a former aerospace engineer at NASA and Northrop Grumman, and with a master’s degree in biomedical engineering, he is a trusted IP partner to aerospace and medical technology companies.

Clients rely on Tom to develop and execute IP strategy tailored to specific business goals. He counsels companies on overall IP strategy, performs IP audits, prosecutes patents, develops trade secret protections, conducts pre-litigation enforcement of IP rights, negotiates licenses, and conducts offensive and defensive diligence such as patentability and infringement studies.

Tom has deep experience helping startup clients develop IP assets and defend diligence for financing and M&A activities. Since 2016, he has prosecuted patents and conducted IP diligence in deals cumulatively valued at over $800M, including over $700M for medical device clients and over $100M for aerospace and mechanical clients.

Tom was in the firm’s San Diego office for 10 years and is currently based out of southwest Florida.