About Frank B.
Frank B. Yang trained first as an engineer and then went on to the law. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2002. Seven years later he completed his legal training at New York University School of Law, receiving his J.D. in 2009.
Those two degrees—one technical, one legal—have shaped the arc of his career. After law school he entered practice in areas where technology and intellectual property law intersect. He is admitted to the bar in California and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Yang has worked at Fenwick & West LLP. His time there has placed him in the middle of patent work for clients in the technology sector. The combination of an electrical engineering background and a law degree has made patent prosecution and patent counseling a natural line of work. He handles patent filings and advises on strategy tied to inventions grounded in electrical and software disciplines.
Colleagues describe his approach as methodical. He breaks technical concepts down into claim language that can withstand scrutiny. He also spends time translating legal requirements back into steps clients can follow. That practical back-and-forth is part of routine patent work: drafting claims, responding to office actions, and advising on the scope of protection available under U.S. patent law.
Outside of drafting and prosecution he takes part in advising companies on managing intellectual property portfolios. For many technology firms, decisions about what to patent, where to file, and how to budget for prosecution are as important as the merits of any single invention. His technical education informs those conversations, helping clients weigh engineering trade-offs against legal outcomes.
He brings a steady, analytical style to client matters. He does not rely on flashy language. Instead he emphasizes careful claim construction, attention to file history, and clear communication with inventors and in-house counsel. He has built a practice that sits where circuitry, code, and claims meet the law.
He currently practices at Fenwick & West LLP, handling patent prosecution and counseling for technology clients.
