Elisa Santos

Elisa assists in the representation of patent owners seeking to enforce their rights and companies defending against allegations of patent infringement in pre-litigation patent disputes and in complex patent suits in federal courts. A registered patent lawyer, she also assists in the representation of parties in inter partes review and post-grant review proceedings before the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Elisa provides end-to-end support in patent disputes involving a variety of technologies, including computer hardware and software, wireless technologies and medical devices. She assists in the development of the technical foundation of cases, including initial case assessments, infringement and appropriation analyses, and claim construction; preparation of pleadings and other court filings; fact and expert discovery; and legal research and drafting support for dispositive and evidentiary motions. Her work also involves researching patent law and assisting in the development of damages theories and models that align with the technical aspects of a case. A corporate paralegal for firms in New York and California for six years before beginning her legal studies, Elisa is frequently tasked with critical day-to-day case and workflow management on large, multipart patent litigation matters.

Elisa dedicates significant time to pro bono representation. She works closely with The Veterans Consortium, a national nonprofit with which the firm partners, lending her research, writing and litigation skills to advocate for veterans seeking service-related disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

Elisa returns to the firm after participating in our summer associate program in 2023, during which she worked on patent litigation cases. Elisa’s interest in intellectual property law began in law school. In addition to interning in the legal department of a Bay Area-based medical device company, she competed in the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, organized by the International Trademark Association (INTA), that focuses on trademark and unfair competition law; and in the Giles S. Rich Moot Court Competition, organized by the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), that focuses on patent law. She subsequently served as a student coach and currently serves as an alumni coach for the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (UCLSF) moot court team.