Biography
Amanda is a partner in McGuireWoods’ Intellectual Property practice group. With vast experience, both inside and outside of government, she provides counsel to a wide range of clients on many facets of intellectual property litigation, focusing specifically on patent litigation and inter partes review (IPR) matters.
Amanda joined McGuireWoods from her role as Acting Vice Chief Administrative Patent Judge at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), where she spent nearly ten years adjudicating patentability disputes. As an Administrative Patent Judge, Amanda presided over more than 250 contested IPRs and post grant reviews under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA). Amanda also presided over 440 ex parte appeal proceedings, reviewing the decisions of USPTO patent examiners. Amanda heard cases in a wide variety of technologies including in the medical, mechanical, and electrical areas.
In addition to her case work, Amanda was instrumental in shaping PTAB policies and procedures, including through rulemaking. For example, Amanda put into practice the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Arthrex by creating an effective and sustainable process to allow the USPTO Director to review PTAB decisions. Through this process, she advised USPTO’s Director on nearly 400 requests for Director Review and assisted in issuing Director Review decisions in over 60 cases.
Prior to her appointment as a PTAB Administrative Patent Judge, Amanda practiced law at an international law firm where she focused on high-stakes patent infringement cases before various U.S. district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission, and the PTAB. Amanda began her career as a Patent Examiner with the USPTO, where she examined mechanical patent applications in medical device and fluid handling technologies.
Amanda has a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt University and a law degree from the College of William & Mary.