About Nikki
Nikki Qi combines technical training and legal education to build a patent practice grounded in engineering. She earned her J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law in 2011, where she completed the High Tech Law Certificate. Before law school she completed an M.S. in electrical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2005 and a B.E. in electrical engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2003. Those years of technical study shape how she approaches intellectual property questions today.
Qi is licensed to practice in California and is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She joined Fenwick & West LLP early in her legal career and has continued her work there. Her background on both sides of the technical–legal divide helps in drafting and prosecuting patent applications as well as in advising clients on portfolio strategy.
Her technical training is centered in electrical engineering. That foundation gives her comfort with electronics, signal processing and software-related inventions. She has prepared patent applications that draw on that background and has handled prosecution before the USPTO. In conversations with inventors she emphasizes clarity and technical precision, aiming to translate complex engineering concepts into patent claims that are understandable to examiners and usable by clients.
The trajectory from engineering classrooms to a law firm practice has influenced her approach to problem solving. As an engineer she learned to break problems into testable parts. As a lawyer she learned to frame inventive concepts within legal standards. The combination informs how she counsels clients on patentability and claim scope, and how she navigates office actions during prosecution.
Colleagues describe her work style as methodical. She tends to prepare detailed patent drafts and to follow through on prosecution tasks. In client work she regularly engages with inventors during technical interviews to capture nuances of an invention. That interaction often shapes claim language and informs decisions about filing strategies.
Outside of filings and examinations she contributes to client conversations about managing portfolios. She participates in internal reviews and supports cross-disciplinary teams that include engineers, product managers and outside counsel. Her role at the firm has been characterized by steady involvement in patent prosecution and advice for technology companies.
She currently practices patent and intellectual property law.
