About John
John Mills trained first as an engineer and later as a lawyer. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1990 and followed that with an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the same school in 1991. More than a decade after his graduate study he returned to the classroom to study law, taking a J.D. from William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 2005. That combination of technical and legal education shapes the work he does today.
Early in his legal career he served as an associate at Cooley Godward Kronish LLP. At the firm he worked on matters that drew on his engineering background, translating technical concepts into legal analysis. His time there involved collaboration with engineers and inventors, drafting and reviewing legal documents that intersect technology and law.
Mills is authorized to practice in Virginia and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Those credentials reflect the two strands of his training: mechanical engineering and law. Being able to read technical drawings and legal statutes allows him to evaluate inventions and to prepare filings that address both technical detail and legal requirements.
Colleagues and clients describe his approach as methodical. He breaks complex technical problems into discrete issues. He writes claims and specifications with an eye toward clarity. He also assists with counseling on patent matters and can help manage patent portfolios when inventions move from lab to market. His mechanical engineering background gives him particular familiarity with mechanical systems and design issues.
Outside of casework he maintains professional ties to the bar and to peers in intellectual property law. He has pursued continuing education that keeps him current on patent office practice and changes in patent law. He continues to apply both degrees to practical problems for inventors and companies. He currently focuses on patent prosecution and counseling for engineering clients.
