Kirsten Thomson, Co-Founder & Attorney
+1.734.645.7350
thomson@growip.com
Personal LinkedIn
Kirsten Thomson is a founder of GrowIP Law Group LLC. Kirsten’s practice focuses on patent and trademark prosecution and litigation. Kirsten practices generally in the fields of mechanical, electrical, and telecommunications technology. She has a specialty in medical devices, including stents, stent deployment devices, occluders, wound drainage systems, drug delivery devices, drug infusion balloons, catheters, traction devices, ultrasound equipment, breast pumps, and surgical navigation and device mapping methods for placement. She also has unique experience in the area of design patents, in particular with respect to graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and clothing.
Her patent litigation experience spans an array of technologies, including LED lighting, ceiling fans, electronic trading software, medical devices, lithium batteries, and telecommunications products. Kirsten has extensive experience as local counsel in the Northern District of Illinois for cases involving patent infringement claims and is intimately familiar with the district court’s local patent rules.
Kirsten also has developed a niche practice in the fashion industry. In this arena, she has deployed an integrated approach that leverages a combination of design patents, trademarks/trade dress, and copyrights. Through this approach, she has obtained long term IP protection for clothing that includes high performance athletic wear and accessories, outerwear, loungewear, undergarments, headwear, and footwear.
Prior to founding GrowIP, Kirsten worked alongside her co-founder Marcus as an equity partner at a prominent IP boutique in Chicago. Before entering the field of law, Kirsten worked for Delphi Automotive Systems as a manufacturing engineer for fuel injectors and cam lifters. She also worked as a product development engineer for 3M in the patient assessment lab with a focus on stethoscopes and for Johnson Controls as an engineer in the automotive seating division.
In her spare time, Kirsten can often be found on the golf course working on her handicap or walking her dog Frank, who likes to make appearances on client video conferences. In a former life, Kirsten was a distance runner and is looking to start up again.
Credentials:
Education
J.D., Michigan State University College of Law, Magna Cum Laude
– Michigan State Law Review, Editor-in-Chief
M.S.E., University of Michigan, Mechanical Engineering
B.S.E., University of Michigan, Mechanical Engineering, Cum Laude
Bar Admissions
Illinois
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
Representative Experience
Managing several large international medical device patent portfolios for an emerging healthcare organization and for an industry-leading international corporation
Strategizing, drafting and successfully obtaining a multi-million dollar license for a patent family for an emerging healthcare organization
Successfully preparing and prosecuting patent applications, including design patent applications, across a broad spectrum of mechanical, electrical, graphical user interface, and telecommunication-based arts
Preparing and counseling clients on freedom-to-operate, patentability, and infringement opinions for a range of technologies
Overseeing several patent litigations directed to utility patents for LED lighting fixtures and design patents for ceiling fans
Successfully opposing a rarely-denied motion to consolidate trademark cancellation proceedings
Successfully obtaining a motion to dismiss a trademark cancellation petition with prejudice
Prosecuting trademark applications and advising clients on comprehensive brand protection strategies
Court Admissions
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Professional Outreach
Adjunct Professor, Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2016 & 2017 Fall Semesters
Member of the Governing Board, Girls on the Run Chicago, 2013-2016
Coach for MiQuest (formerly Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest), 2013-2016
Board of Directors, Michigan State University College of Law – Alumni Association, 2010-2012
Recognition:
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2022 Edition in the area of Patent Law
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2021 Edition in the area of Patent Law
Recognized as a 2017 Emerging Lawyer by Leading Lawyers in the areas of Intellectual Property Law, Patent Law, and Trade Secrets/Unfair Competition Law