Tom J. Filarski

Tom J. Filarski helps companies develop, manage, and commercialize patent portfolios involving complex chemical, medical, and industrial technologies. A registered patent attorney, chemist, and chemical engineer with four decades of experience, Tom counsels clients on patent prosecution, global portfolio strategy, licensing, and the relationship between patent protection and long-term business value. 

Before entering law, Tom worked as an engineer for an oil-refinery design company, gaining practical experience with cracking catalysts, heavy-oil processing, and downstream refinery systems. His scientific and engineering background enables him to work directly with inventors, understand technically demanding innovations, and identify the features most important to protecting a client’s products and competitive position. 

Tom’s patent experience spans medical devices, pharmaceuticals, chemistry, polymers, catalysts, semiconductors, materials processing, energy technologies, and manufacturing systems. He has particular experience developing patent strategies for medical technologies. Among other engagements, Tom directed the development of an international patent portfolio covering aortic-stent technology, coordinating prosecution, licensing, and enforcement to support the client’s broader commercial objectives. 

Tom approaches prosecution with the full lifecycle of the patent in mind. His extensive experience in licensing, litigation, post-grant proceedings, and Federal Circuit appeals gives him practical insight into how claim language, specification support, and prosecution decisions can affect later enforcement and commercial value. He uses that perspective to help clients pursue patent rights that are technically sound, commercially relevant, and prepared for scrutiny after issuance. 

Tom also advises emerging companies on integrating patent strategy with commercialization, investment, licensing, and potential exit opportunities. His service on the advisory board of a technology-focused venture capital firm gives him additional perspective on how investors and acquirers evaluate intellectual-property assets. 

Tom earned his M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, his B.A. in Chemistry from Loyola University Chicago, and his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law. He is registered to practice before the USPTO and admitted before the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. Tom is a past president of the Licensing Executives Society (USA & Canada) and has held numerous leadership roles in the intellectual-property and licensing communities.