O’Melveny Welcomes Former USPTO Acting Deputy Director Coke Morgan Stewart to its Washington, DC Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC—July 6, 2023—O’Melveny announced today that Coke Morgan Stewart, formerly the second-highest ranking officer in the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), has joined the firm’s Washington, DC office as senior counsel in its Intellectual Property & Technology Practice Group. She will advise clients on complex intellectual property matters, including litigation, Patent Trial and Appeal Board matters, and appeals to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

A seasoned trial and appellate lawyer, Stewart brings more than 25 years of experience to O’Melveny. During her tenure at the USPTO, she held several senior roles, including Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director, Senior Counsel to the Director, Acting Chief of Staff, Acting Deputy Solicitor, and Associate Solicitor. In these positions—over the course of several presidential administrations—Stewart worked closely with USPTO Directors, as well as the Department of Commerce and other executive branch departments to formulate intellectual property policy. Stewart’s appellate experience at the USPTO includes advising on numerous patent, trademark, and copyright cases before the US Supreme Court, as well as handling more than 50 appeals before the Federal Circuit.

Stewart comes to O’Melveny after serving as Deputy Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia since January 2022. Prior to her government service, she worked in private practice in the Washington, DC office of Kaye Scholer LLP, where she was a member of the Intellectual Property Practice Group. She has litigated countless complex patent infringement cases for both patent holders and accused infringers, including two to jury verdict in the Eastern District of Texas and in the Eastern District of Virginia.

“We’re delighted to welcome Coke to O’Melveny,” said Ryan Yagura, chair of O’Melveny’s Intellectual Property & Technology Practice Group. “Her impressive credentials, deep knowledge of intellectual property law and policy, and strong litigation skills—especially at the appellate level—make her an excellent addition to our award-winning Intellectual Property & Technology team and to our expanding presence in DC.”

“I’m honored and excited to join O’Melveny, one of the top law firms in the country with a well-earned reputation as a litigation powerhouse,” said Stewart. “I’m thrilled to work with such stellar lawyers, including many former USPTO and PTAB colleagues, and to add my trial and appellate experience to the outstanding Intellectual Property & Technology team.”

Stewart’s arrival expands O’Melveny’s formidable East Coast capabilities and bolsters the firm’s already acclaimed Intellectual Property & Technology Practice Group, which has added several leading litigators in the past year, including:

• Robert F. Shaffer, a first chair trial lawyer with extensive experience handling complex life sciences patent litigation, who joined the firm as a partner in the firm’s Washington, DC office in February; and
• Gregory A. Morris, who specializes in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technology patent litigation and joined the firm as a partner in the firm’s New York office in August 2022.

Stewart earned her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was executive editor of the Virginia Tax Review. She earned her B.A. cum laude from Duke University.

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