Michelle Lee expected to “hit the ground running” as USPTO director

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Michelle Lee expected to “hit the ground running” as USPTO director

AIPLA has welcomed the nomination of Michelle Lee to serve as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO

michelle20lee20uspto150.jpg

Wayne Sobon, president of the Association, congratulated Lee. “She will hit the ground running as she faces the multitude of challenges in this role, and we are confident that she will achieve significant and speedy success,” he said in a statement. “At this critical time for the Office and in the IP world generally, filling this important position is long past due.”

“As fellow residents of Silicon Valley who’ve known each other throughout our careers, and in particular as fellow members on the USPTO’s Patent Public Advisory Committee, I appreciate Michelle’s many talents and I am confident that we will be able to work effectively and collaboratively with her in tackling the significant issues ahead.”

Lee has served as Deputy Director of the USPTO since December 2013, and is a former Deputy General Counsel at Google.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Examiner statistics could help patent prosecution practitioners tailor strategies, turning an area of high variability into a potential competitive advantage
The England and Wales High Court’s ruling in Accord v Novartis may not rewrite the law on plausibility, but it does signal a pragmatic approach that could provide greater certainty for life sciences innovators
Firms with established sports relationships and specialised expertise are well positioned to capture the market’s expanded pool of IP work
Gunjan Paharia discusses developing RIA, an AI platform built to draw on decades of institutional knowledge, support junior lawyers, and reshape how legal teams work
A strong Canadian business helped lift profits, but the IP service group's latest results underline the pressure facing its operations in Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia
Wins in court have been key to the six-year-old firm’s growth, as one of its founders explains
The firm’s co-CEO discusses patent litigation, collaboration with overseas colleagues and the next generation of leaders
Two recent decisions demonstrate the courts’ creativity in cutting-edge IP disputes that tested their jurisdictional powers
Aditi Verma Thakur, managing partner at Aishani Partners, discusses 5 am wake-ups, working with high-performing professionals and staying calm under pressure
After more than three decades at Wilson Sonsini, Ian Edvalson explains why he moved to expand his life sciences transactional practice
Gift this article