Erin Leach is Of Counsel in Quinn Emanuel’s Los Angeles office. She specializes in high-stakes patent disputes and has litigated patent cases in venues nationwide, including U.S. District Courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Erin’s career encompasses a unique blend of private practice and public service. Over 15 years ago, she began mastering patent law and procedure as a patent examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Since then, she has served as an extern for Judge Matthew Kennelly of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and as a law clerk for then-Chief Judge Sharon Prost of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In private practice, Erin has represented companies of all stages and sizes, from early startup to multinational corporation.
Erin has earned advanced degrees in both science and engineering and is well-versed in life sciences and a wide range of technologies, including computer hardware and software, semiconductors, video streaming, energy storage, automotive components, wearable devices, and nuclear reactors. Erin consistently leverages her technical education and legal experience to efficiently address her clients’ most pressing and complex intellectual property needs.
- The University of Chicago Law School
(J.D., 2015) - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(M.S., Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2007) - Spelman College
(B.S., Physics, 2004)
- The State Bar of California
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
- Joint Patent Misappropriation: An Appropriate Solution to Joint Patent Infringement, 82 U. CHI. L. REV. 1023 (2015)