Katherine Pacynski helps clients protect their innovations. She focuses her practice on the mechanical, chemical, and materials science arts, with an emphasis on nonwoven materials, consumer goods, and automotive applications, such as steering columns and other components.

Among Katie’s clientele are garage inventors, engineers at multinational companies, and various creators in between. To preserve their interests, she drafts patent applications, strategically negotiates the scope of patent protection with the USPTO and foreign patent offices, manages client portfolios, and monitors competitor activities. Katie is known for taking the time to understand what her clients do and getting to know who they are. Clients rely on Katie for her sensible advice and know she is always available to address their questions and concerns.

Katie prides herself on her meticulous attention to detail, sense of humor, and straightforward approach to problem-solving, giving her clients a clear picture of the risks and opportunities they face. She appreciates the firm’s support and encouragement to volunteer in the community and pursue leadership opportunities. As a result, Katie spent many years on the Executive Board of the Women’s Bar Association. She also graduated from the Leadership Oakland program and volunteers for many other causes.

A successful career as a patent attorney wasn’t always Katie’s plan. While pursuing an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan, she juggled classwork and the demands of her role on the varsity cheerleading team. Along the way, she took a one-credit elective, “Law for Engineers,” a class that changed her focus and started her on the path to law.

After completing her Bachelor of Science in Engineering, cum laude, Katie attended Michigan State University College of Law. There, she held leadership roles on the Michigan State Law Review and began working for the Dobrusin Law Firm, first as a law clerk, then as a patent agent. After receiving her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, she joined the firm as an associate attorney and was later named a shareholder.