About Melissa
Melissa Spindler combines an engineering background and a law degree in a career that centers on intellectual property. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University in 2001. She then went on to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she received her J.D. in 2004. Those academic credentials shape the technical and legal work she handles today.
Her early years bridged two disciplines. Trained as an engineer, she understands drawings, tolerances and mechanical systems. Trained as an attorney, she handles statutes, regulations and case law. That pairing has guided her career path and the types of matters she accepts.
Spindler has permission to practice before several jurisdictions that IP counselors commonly use. She is admitted in Wisconsin and appears in both the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin and in the Northern District of Illinois. She is also registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and has handled matters that reached the Federal Circuit. Those admissions permit work that ranges from patent applications to federal litigation.
Her work at Smith Keane LLP places her in the day-to-day business of patent prosecution and dispute work. At the firm she prepares and prosecutes patent applications, responds to office actions, and counsels clients on strategy for protecting inventions. She also handles enforcement and defense of patent rights in district court and at the USPTO when challenges arise. Her mechanical engineering background informs claim drafting and technical argument.
Colleagues describe her as methodical in case preparation and attentive to technical detail. She is known for breaking complex machines and systems into issues that judges, examiners and opposing counsel can understand. That approach is practical: clear explanations often make the difference during prosecution and at hearing.
Outside of filings and court appearances, she works with inventors and companies on portfolio development and clearance analysis. That work includes evaluating whether an invention is likely to obtain protection, and whether a product presents risk of infringement. She regularly drafts opinions and advises clients about filing strategies across multiple jurisdictions.
She is based at Smith Keane LLP. She currently concentrates her practice on patent prosecution and patent litigation.
