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Overview

Nicole helps multi-national clients develop and implement broad-ranging strategies to protect and enforce their intellectual property rights on a global scale.

Nicole provides clients with strategic legal counsel at all stages of technology development—from research and product development through commercialization—and routinely manages and maintains large intellectual (IP) property portfolios on an international basis with aggregate values in the tens of billions of dollars. She is often called on to advise clients at an early point in the development of new technologies, and she provides strategic advice relating to the competitive IP landscape and practical guidance on design-around approaches that minimize the risk of infringement.

In addition to traditional patent law guidance, such as patent preparation and prosecution and providing opinions concerning patent validity, infringement and patentability, Nicole is an innovator in the area of design patent law and frequently protects clients’ technologies using creative design patent claiming strategies. She also has extensive experience in prosecuting, licensing and providing pre-litigation and inter partes review strategy advice for patents and trademarks.

Her clients frequently have global operations and require IP counseling across multiple jurisdictions and participate in multiple industry verticals, including:

  • Consumer products
  • Software
  • Food and beverage
  • Water treatment and purification
  • Medical devices
  • Aquaculture
  • Filtration
  • Chemical and mechanical engineering
  • Pumps
  • Oil and gas
  • Wax formulations
  • Aerospace
  • Nutritional supplements
  • Manufacturing
  • Pool and spa equipment
  • Electronic components
  • Fashion
  • Transportation and logistics

Industries

Services

Recognition

  • The Best Lawyers In America®
    • Patent Law, 2025
  • National Lesbian and Gay Bar Association, Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 – Class of 2014
  • Illinois Super Lawyers®–Rising Stars Edition (2014–2017: Intellectual Property)
  • Leading Lawyers Network, Illinois Emerging Lawyer, 2017–present (Copyright & Trademark, Intellectual Property, Patent)

Education

  • J.D., The John Marshall Law School
    • Certificate in Intellectual Property
    • Review of Intellectual Property Law, Staff Editor
    • Moot Court
  • B.S., University of Pittsburgh
    • Chemical Engineering

Admissions

  • Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • International Trademark Association
  • Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago Foundation, Board of Directors
White Papers | November 01, 2023
Legal Insights for Manufacturing: Outlook for 2024

With each passing day it becomes more apparent the world that entered the COVID-19 pandemic is not the world that emerged from it.

White Papers | January 04, 2023
Legal Insights for Manufacturing: Outlook for 2023

What manufacturers can expect in the new year.

Articles | October 26, 2020
Marijuana Venture: Innovation on the Rise
Seminars | November 18, 2024
Bringing Order to the Chaos of AI
Webinar | January 31, 2024
Legal Insights for Manufacturing
Speaking Engagements | June 17, 2021
Panelist, "Leading with Pride," Women in Bio Chicago
Community Leadership
  • Equality Illinois Political Action Committee, Vice Chair