Joseph A. Sawyer, Jr.
In his twenty-year legal career, Managing Partner Joseph A. Sawyer, Jr. has written over 150 issued patents and counsels clients in trademark, copyright, trade secret, and licensing protection, including writing patent validity and infringement opinions.
Before entering private practice, Joe was Assistant General Counsel for Chips and Technologies and Area Patent Counsel for Advanced Micro Devices. He held in-house counsel positions at Hughes Aircraft Co., Pitney Bowes, and AT&T Bell Labs. There he developed expertise in software cleanroom procedures for BIOS development in the semiconductor industry, and in optical, infrared, and RF communications technologies. He negotiated and evaluated technology licenses for government and commercial contracts.
Joe received his Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall University in 1983. While at Seton Hall, he served as President of the Black American Law Student Association and as a member of the Dean's Ad-hoc Committee on Minority Affairs. He is a recipient of the Fahy Award for scholarship, leadership, and service to the law school community. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the General Motors Institute (GMI).
Joe is a member of the state bars of California, New Jersey, Connecticut and the District of Columbia and is admitted to the patent bar. He is a member of the National Bar Association and the American Intellectual Property Law Association. He was the President of the Silicon Valley Intellectual Property Law Association (SVIPLA) for the 1999-2000 term, and now serves on its board.
