Sonja W. Sahlsten

Sonja is experienced in all phases of patent litigation in district courts, from complaint to trial and post-trial. Her experience includes formulating infringement, validity, and claim construction positions; managing discovery and arguing discovery motions; taking and defending fact and expert depositions; preparing witnesses for deposition and trial; examining and cross-examining fact and expert witnesses at trial; and drafting claim construction, summary judgment, and pre- and post-trial motions and briefs. Sonja has also successfully represented parties in post-grant proceedings such as inter partes review (IPR) and ex parte reexamination. Her experience with trade secrets includes both litigation and counseling.

Sonja’s patent prosecution work involves drafting and prosecuting U.S. utility and design patent applications. She has experience with design patents related to consumer products, medical device, and graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and icons. She has prosecuted families of design patents before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and helped direct prosecution in foreign countries.

Sonja is passionate about diversity in IP and working with pro bono clients. As one of the partners-in-charge of pro bono at Finnegan, she focuses her pro bono work on post-conviction relief. Clients she has represented include a former inmate who received a reduction of his 35-year-to-life sentence under the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA) and was released, and another whose 40-year-to life sentence was reduced to time served under the Second Look Amendment Act (SLAA) and was released. Sonja is listed on the Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll. She serves as the co-Chair of the Washington, DC, chapter of Women in IP Network (WIN) and is involved in Finnegan FORWARD (Focused on Raising Women’s Advancement, Representation, and Development), the firm’s women’s business initiative.

While in law school, Sonja served as a legal intern to the Honorable Anne C. Conway at the U.S. District Court for the M.D. Florida. She also worked for the University of Florida Office of Technology Licensing, where she performed patent due diligence in a wide range of technologies, including mechanical, structural, and agricultural innovations.

Before law school, Sonja conducted research on the design and optimization of a novel polygeneration system implemented in communities affected by natural disasters. She also conducted research and testing in green building and home automation technology.