USPTO appoints law professor as Detroit satellite office 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

USPTO appoints law professor as Detroit satellite office director

University of Nebraska College of Law professor Christal Sheppard has been appointed as the first director of the USPTO’s satellite office in Detroit

Sheppard will begin in the role on February 9.

She is an assistant professor of law at the University of Nebraska College of Law, where she co-founded a concentration in intellectual property law. She teaches patent, international intellectual property, science and law, and legislation and the political process.

Before joining the University of Nebraska, Sheppard was the chief counsel on patents and trademarks for the Committee on the Judiciary in the House of Representatives. She has also held roles at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Foley & Lardner, and the Office of the General Counsel of the International Trade Commission.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Partners at both firms have voted in favour of the tie-up, which marks ‘the largest law firm merger in history’
Head of IP, Andrew Brennan, and new partner, France Delord, explain how tech provides an edge in the battle for global brand owners’ business
Anton Hopen, shareholder at Trenam Law, shares how counsel should construct Section 101 claims as early 2026 PTAB data shows reversals rising in technical cases
Law firms should consider how they can help clients, as report calls on EU to use IP-backed financing to increase bloc’s competitiveness and attractiveness for businesses
In the final part of a series on challenging patent invalidation decisions in China, lawyers at Spruson & Ferguson and Marshall Gerstein share how courts adjudicate appeals
Stijn Debaene and Carina Gommers want Brussels-based Cast Law to be the place 'everybody wants to work'
The combination between Ashurst and Perkins Coie, which will create a $2.8 billion law firm, is expected to close in Q3
While Sipara will continue operating under its existing name and leadership for now, both firms plan to present a united front at the INTA Annual Meeting in London
Sheppard has added quantum and robotics expertise to its AI industry team to help clients navigate questions around inventorship and IP infringement
The 2026 Americas ceremony recognised outstanding firms and practitioners, along with highlighting impact cases of the year
Gift this article