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Partnering with in-house patent counsel
Larger — and even smaller — corporations already have in-house patent counsel, and rely on outside counsel to prepare and prosecute applications to issuance. We have extensive experience working with a multitude of different corporations in this capacity, and as a smaller law firm am able to modify my systems to work with yours – instead of the other way around as can often be the case when working with larger law firms. Further, the firm is expanding to ensure that we have capacity to meet your needs – well and on-time.
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Handling low-to-high-volume US filings and prosecution for foreign-origin applications
Companies outside of the US often first-file applications in their own jurisdictions as national filings or under the auspices of the PCT, and then enter the US under 35 USC 119 or 35 USC 371 to file counterpart US patent applications. We have substantial experience working with foreign companies and their chosen foreign law firms to file US applications claiming priority to PCT and non-US applications, and more specifically prosecuting the applications to issuance under provided instructions – in a cost-effective manner that has satisfied even the most budget-pressured legal departments.
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Advising founders and early-stage companies
Founders and early-stage companies are at a decided disadvantage compared to larger and more established companies when it comes to developing patent portfolios, due to cost and other considerations. Let’s discuss how to strategically leverage provisional patent applications in a timely manner can help level the playing field, ensuring that you have the right intellectual property in place when it comes time to talk to investors and venture capital.
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The Law Offices of Michael Dryja is currently expanding, and is in the process of adding additional senior patent practitioners who share our emphasis on long-term client relationships, continuity of counsel, and practical, business-focused patent prosecution.
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Michael Dryja
MICHAEL DRYJA is the founder of the Law Offices of Michael Dryja. Mike is a registered U.S. patent attorney with more than 30 years of experience providing strategic counsel on U.S. and international patent prosecution, including the preparation and prosecution of U.S. and international patent applications through allowance.
Heather Mulkey
HEATHER MULKEY is the firm’s senior patent paralegal. With more than 25 years of experience, she manages and coordinates the firm’s U.S. and international patent prosecution matters, ensuring that clients’ patent prosecution matters are handled efficiently and seamlessly from filing through issuance.
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Practitioner-directed AI
AI is integrated into our patent prosecution workflows to assist experienced practitioners, not replace their professional judgment. We do not use AI to handle matters autonomously from end to end. Instead, practitioners establish the strategy and utilize AI to help implement it – working interactively with AI to generate work product while retaining responsibility for all decisions and the final work product. This approach allows us to take advantage of AI’s capabilities while ensuring that substantive legal judgment remains firmly in the hands of experienced patent professionals.
Client confidentiality first
Protecting client confidentiality is a fundamental requirement of our AI-enabled practice. We exclusively use AI models that offer zero data retention (ZDR), ensuring that client information is not retained by model providers after processing or used to train their models. We also restrict AI inference to the US or EU, ensuring that client information is processed only within these jurisdictions. These requirements apply regardless of the AI model or provider, allowing us to take advantage of advances in AI technology without compromising our commitment to client confidentiality.
No vendor lock-in
We maintain our AI capabilities in-house rather than relying on third-party AI applications built around foundation models. The skills, workflows, and institutional knowledge that underpin our AI-enabled practice remain under our control and are designed to be portable across models from different providers. This independence allows us to select the most appropriate AI models for particular tasks, adopt new technologies as they emerge, and avoid dependence on any single vendor. Most importantly, our accumulated expertise and AI capabilities remain with the firm, regardless of changes in the underlying AI technology.
CONTACT
Inquiries regarding U.S. patent prosecution and related matters are welcome.
Please provide your contact details and a brief description of your request. You may use the form provided or email me directly at mike@dryjapat.com.
Responses are typically provided within two U.S. business days.
24 Roy St #447
Seattle, WA 98109
USA
© 2026 Michael Dryja