Office of The Solicitor

The Office of the Solicitor provides legal counsel to the Commissioner on intellectual property matters. The Office's primary responsibility is to defend decisions of the Director, Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and examiners in patent and trademark cases. The Office also represents the Director at depositions of USPTO employees, maintains the Solicitor's Law Library, provides legal advice on proposed regulations and correspondence, and monitors publication of USPTO decisions. The Solicitor's Office, in coordination with the Department of Commerce, also provides representation for the Under Secretary in the interagency deliberations on intellectual property matters. When fully staffed there are fourteen attorneys, six paralegal specialists and six clerical employees on staff. The Solicitor is John Whealan.

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