Speakers:

Nika Aldrich, Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt

Kate Geyer, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton

Dario Machleidt, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton

Nicholas Kim, Microsoft

Get ready for a lively, insider look at the patent world! Join patent litigators Nika Aldrich, Kate Geyer, Dario Machleidt, and Nicholas Kim as they pull back the curtain on what patent litigators really wish patent prosecutors knew. Join us for a practical, candid conversation packed with tips on drafting and prosecution, including the latest §101 trends, navigating §112 pitfalls, spotting “red flag” phrasing, and sharpening your claim drafting game. In addition, Nika Aldrich will deliver a short but impactful ethics segment on inequitable conduct and USPTO related missteps that can leave patents unenforceable—because even great claims can’t survive bad behavior.

CLE: Up to 1.0 General and 0.5 Ethics credit, pending approval.

Deadline: Registration closes at Noon on Monday, January 19, 2026. Ticket price includes a boxed lunch.

This CLE is sponsored by Microsoft.

About Our Speakers:

Nika Aldrich is a first chair litigator and leader of Schwabe’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group, where he represents companies in complex, high stakes patent and technology disputes in federal courts nationwide. He brings deep trial and appellate experience—including work before multiple federal circuits and the U.S. Supreme Court—and is recognized by Chambers USA and JD Supra for his expertise in IP and patent litigation. In addition to his practice, Nika has taught intellectual property and appellate advocacy as an adjunct professor, publishes widely, is a respected speaker, and serves as a trusted strategist known for translating intricate technical issues into compelling arguments for judges and juries.

Kate Geyer is an experienced patent litigator at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton with deep expertise across all phases of district court and ITC proceedings, as well as post grant practice before the PTAB, where she has argued in inter partes review hearings. She also co-hosts Sidebars, a podcast highlighting leading women and other underrepresented voices in the patent bar. Before joining the firm, she gained experience at the Federal Circuit and the ITC, excelled academically—including winning the AIPLA Giles S. Rich Moot Court Competition—and has since been recognized as a Washington “Rising Star” for Intellectual Property Litigation from 2023 to 2025.

Dario Machleidt is an accomplished patent litigator at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton who helped secure a willful infringement jury verdict and a $20.3 million award in Barry v. Medtronic, a result later affirmed by the Federal Circuit. His trial experience spans both criminal and civil cases—having served as a Special Deputy Prosecutor and later contributing to high profile matters including Bowman v. Monsanto before the U.S. Supreme Court. Consistently recognized as a leading IP litigator, Dario has earned honors such as Washington “Super Lawyer,” IAM Patent 1000 “Top Patent Practitioner,” and Managing IP’s “Litigator of the Year,” while also serving in leadership roles in the Washington IP community.

Nicholas Kim is an Assistant General Counsel at Microsoft, specializing in IP litigation worldwide. He joined Microsoft from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division, where he was a trial attorney in the Intellectual Property Section. Before this, he was a patent attorney in private practice in Washington, DC. He also contributes to the Washington IP community as a leader at the Seattle IP Inn of Court.