James A. Wilke is a shareholder in the firm's Intellectual Property Practice. He brings to his business clients extensive experience in the development, protection and management of intellectual property. Given the current economic landscape where intellectual property frequently factors as a key determinant of an organization’s financial health and continuing success, Jim is viewed by his clients as an essential member of their business strategy teams.

Jim’s clients have included closely held and publicly traded manufacturing and distribution corporations both in the United States and abroad. For several years, Jim served as in-house patent and corporate counsel for an international tool manufacturer. Jim’s background as an electrical engineer, designing and implementing tests of electrical products and supervising technical staff, has given him a practical perspective on his clients’ goals and challenges. This perspective, together with his deep understanding of business and the electro-mechanical arts, enables him to bridge the communication gap between engineers and business strategists in ways that maximize creativity, strategic planning and the bottom line. He is particularly valued by clients for his ability to listen and effectively respond to both technical and nontechnical staff and executives in ways that help them to preempt strategic and compliance missteps. Beginning in Fall 2009, Jim will be teaching "Intellectual Property for Engineers" at the Marquette University College of Engineering.

Representative Matters and Experience

• Acquisitions of patents including drafting and prosecuting applications, developing claim strategy and managing of patent portfolios
• Analyzing intellectual property assets in the context of mergers, acquisitions and divestitures
• Analyzing patent infringement and patentable property
• Advising on foreign patent prosecution, infringement and associated business issues
• Internal training, design-around and systems guidance
• Advising international manufacturers of trucks, electrical devices and medical imaging technology

Affiliations/Memberships

• State Bar of Wisconsin
• American Bar Association
• American Intellectual Property Lawyers Association
• Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• Engineers and Scientists of Milwaukee (Board of Directors)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
• Marquette Law Review
• Marquette University College of Engineering Alumni Service Award