About Clare
Clare Frederick moved from engineering into law over the course of a decade. She earned a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University in 2004, then completed her J.D. at Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2011, where she also obtained a certification in intellectual property. The combination of a technical undergraduate degree and formal IP training shaped her early career choices and professional trajectory.
After law school she began practicing patent law. She is a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and is licensed to practice in Illinois. Those credentials allowed her to represent clients before the USPTO and to handle matters that intersect technical subject matter and intellectual property law.
Her firm work has been steady and varied. She joined McCracken and Frank LLC as an associate in 2011. In 2014 she moved to McCracken and Gillen LLC, again serving as an associate. The following year she took on an associate role at Richards Patent Law P.C. These positions involved patent prosecution, counseling, and related IP tasks typical of boutique and specialized patent practices.
Outside of private practice she has taken on teaching and professional activities. In 2016 she served as an adjunct professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, teaching courses that drew on her patent practice and technical background. She is a member of the Intellectual Property Association of Chicago since 2010 and has been active in the Licensing Executives Society since 2013. She also participated in the Richard Linn Inn of Court from 2013 through 2016.
Frederick’s training in engineering informs her approach to patent matters. She combines an understanding of technical subject matter with the procedural and substantive aspects of patent law. Her work history shows experience in patent prosecution and counseling across several small IP-focused firms, and a period of law teaching that kept her engaged with academic perspectives on intellectual property.
She maintains her registration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and remains licensed in Illinois. Her practice centers on patent prosecution, counseling, and licensing matters.
