Meet Some of Our LEAP Sponsors and Participants - Sydney Kestle

More than 100 patent practitioners have participated in the first two years of the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Legal Experience and Advancement Program (LEAP). The program provides junior attorneys with the opportunity to present oral arguments to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) in actual cases—both ex parte appeals and AIA trial proceedings—and take advantage of training opportunities such as mock arguments. Additionally, many attorneys from law firms and corporations have sponsored the participation of LEAP-eligible practitioners. The USPTO interviewed Finnegan attorney Sydney Kestle for her experience as a LEAP participant.

Sydney said, “LEAP provided me with excellent training and the opportunity to argue in front of a panel of judges before I might have otherwise been able to. This experience was invaluable, and I feel well equipped to manage a PTAB practice.”

When asked if she would recommend the program, she said, “I would strongly recommend participating in LEAP. It offers great training seminars to get practitioners up to speed quickly on PTAB practice. And the program is a good way for new practitioners to have hands-on experience early on. I am very grateful to the attorneys I work with at Finnegan and our clients for supporting LEAP and giving new practitioners opportunities to hone their skills.”

Read “Meet Some of Our LEAP Sponsors and Participants”