Ilona Wheat is special counsel in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in the firm's San Diego (Del Mar) office.
Ilona's practice encompasses all areas of intellectual property law, focusing on patent application drafting and prosecution in the mechanical, electrical and computer software arts, as well as strategic portfolio development and counseling. She also assists clients in technology licensing and IP due diligence matters, patentability evaluations, validity and infringement opinions and inter partes review proceedings, as well as trademark protection and enforcement.
Ilona frequently leverages her technical background in cognitive neuroscience, chemistry and computer programming to address complex issues for clients in technical disciplines, including power electronics, solar panel fabrication, MEMS design and fabrication, medical devices, payment networks and data analytics, among others. She is highly effective at working with technologists and executives to build strategic intellectual property portfolios to further business objectives, protect innovations and defend market share.
Ilona's focus on personal interaction with her clients allows her to build familiarity with inventors and in-house counsel and create an environment where ideas and innovations can be more readily identified, ultimately adding value to her client's businesses.
Previously, Ilona served as in-house counsel, as well as outside general counsel for companies in technology-focused media, digital branding and advertising industries.