Biography
Stephen Dew’s practice focuses on patent prosecution, counseling, and transactional matters. His prosecution experience includes a wide range of technologies, including artificial intelligence, natural language processing, digital signal processing, mechanical devices, and medical devices. Stephen leverages his extensive engineering experience in advising his clients.
Stephen also gained insight into clients’ goals via in-house secondments. His experience includes a six-month secondment at a major technology company, during which he served as product counsel, assessing legal risk relating to new products and counseling on licensing matters. Additionally, his experience includes a role at another major technology company during which he assessed patent portfolio licensing obligations implicated by joining technical standards organizations.
Stephen has substantial experience performing intellectual property due diligence associated with mergers and acquisitions and expertise in open-source software licensing.
Prior to entering practice, Stephen worked as an engineer, in both technical and customer-facing roles. Previously, he held the position of Compiler Engineer at Freescale Semiconductor (now NXP). He also held various Applications Engineer positions at Freescale and StarCore LLC. In these roles, he optimized customers’ software and provided technical training to customers. Prior to law school, Stephen also worked as a consulting technical expert for patent infringement cases.
Stephen speaks French and has a basic knowledge of German. With a strong desire to give back to the legal profession, Stephen is an enthusiastic mentor to many attorneys, law students, and others considering law school.
Highlights
- Prepared, prosecuted, and managed a portfolio of natural language patent prosecution matters for a leading software company.*
- Obtained hundreds of patents for various technology companies.*
- Performed IP-related due diligence for clients investigating potential acquisitions.*
- Acted as product counsel during a secondment at a large technology company.*
- Devoted hundreds of hours to pro bono matters, which included representing clients in defensive asylum proceedings, obtaining asylum for an Afghan student, and representing an Afghan interpreter obtaining a Special Interest Visa (SIV).*
* experience gained at previous law firm
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Georgia
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Education
- University of North Carolina School of Law, J.D., with honors (2016)
- Georgia Institute of Technology, M.S. (2001)
- University of Leeds, Bachelor of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, with honours (1999)
Professional Recognition
- Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® as one of the “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch” for Intellectual Property Law, 2022-2023.
- Recognized by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” for intellectual property, 2024.
Publications
- Co-author (with Keith Fredlake). “Federal Circuit Patent Indefiniteness Ruling Bears Drafting Lessons,” Law360.com, 2020.
- Co-author (with Jason D. Gardner). “North Carolina Abusive Patent Assertions Act: A Powerful Gun But Will It Hold Up In a Gunfight?” 17 N.C. Journal of Law and Technology, 2016.
Organizations
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Senior Member, 2017-Present
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Member, 1999-2016
- Georgia PATENTS Advisory Board, Member