Ashley L. Kirk

Ashley Kirk represents companies in complex commercial litigation, technology-related disputes, and intellectual property matters. With nearly twenty years of legal experience and a B.S.E. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ashley brings a practical understanding of complex technical and scientific issues to Willenken’s litigation and IP disputes practices.

Ashley’s work spans contract disputes, indemnity actions, and a variety of IP disputes, including patent infringement actions and reexaminations, trademark and copyright matters, trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings, inter partes reviews, and disputes involving trade secrets, licensing, and contractual indemnity. She represents clients before state courts, federal district and appellate courts, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB).

Ashley brings a unique combination of experience in litigation, IP prosecution, and technology monetization, allowing her to advise clients on commercial matters involving technology licenses, indemnity requests, asset purchase agreements, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights. Her experience includes advising on IP portfolio monetization strategies, serving as IP counsel in mergers and acquisitions, asset purchases, and licensing transactions, as well as drafting agreements for technology sector clients.

Ashley recently resolved a trademark dispute on the eve of trial for one of the world’s largest solar panel manufacturers after its internationally recognized brand and publicly traded stock symbol were accused of infringing the marks of a regional U.S. company, and helped win a motion to dismiss for an equipment manufacturer in a dispute involving false advertising claims. Other highlights include representing a technology manufacturer in a contractual indemnity dispute arising from underlying patent litigation and serving on the Willenken trial team that secured a $506 million judgment in a high-stakes pharmaceutical supply dispute in the Delaware Court of Chancery.

Before joining Willenken, Ashley practiced as a patent attorney in the Palo Alto office of an Am Law 50 firm and at IP boutiques. Throughout her career, she has participated in the prosecution of more than 750 patent applications and hundreds of trademark applications in the U.S. and abroad. She earned her J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law, where she was a Harno Scholar.