When I am not writing patent applications, trademark applications, negotiating licensing agreements and settling infringement matters, you can often find me perusing a thrift store. There is something about discovering hidden treasure and giving it new life. I was trying on some clothes at Ravinia Vintage Rescue when I saw this sign hanging in the fitting room. “She Believed She Could, So She Did!” It struck me as an apt metaphor not only for my law practice, but also my life.

My parents saw the value of sending me to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This was not just for the content of what I would study and quality of the people I would meet, but for instilling in me the belief that I could do anything. I was frequently one of a few, if not the only, woman in my science and math classes. MIT’s Class of 1990 was 38% women, a fact permanently enshrined on a wall tile in the MBTA Kendall Square Station. 35 years later, when women make up 50% or more, this seems almost quaint but at the time, it was a huge deal.

Almost 15 years ago I opened this practice. Some at the time asked me why. There were already so many other patent attorneys in Chicago, and patent law firms, too. Why compete with them? Maybe there were other patent attorneys, but not so many who had also gone to MIT (the MIT directory listed 7). None of those had ever been a patent examiner, and none was also a woman. There was only one way to know whether there was a market for me. To my delight, there was and continues to be.

These credentials do open the door, but I like to think it is the way I treat clients that keeps them here. Read just some of what my valued clients have publicly said about working with me:

1. My attorney has a tradition of hand delivering patent books when they arrive… and I love it! … Then there’s today, which conceptually means nothing. Yet there’s something about having a physical patent in your hands that evokes a deep appreciation of the entire journey. For me, it’s a humbling experience and a chance to reflect on how far we’ve come, while also taking stock of how much still needs to be done…

         Thank you Lesley, for sharing your tradition with me today! One more to go… let’s make it 3 October’s in a row!

2. What can I say about Lesley that I’m sure hasn’t been said before. She is very precise with her work, quick, clear and easy to understand, makes sure she gets all of the information before just submitting a patent, and after working with her I had absolutely no concerns about the status of my patent. Use Lesley and you’ll have top notch service from someone who will genuinely careabout your product/idea.

3. Lesley provided a very enjoyable patent acquisition experience. Always available to answerall my questions and to alleviate my apprehensions. Lesley fulfilled my project in a professional and timely Lesley truly is the epitome of what an outstanding attorney should be.

I believed I could, but I can’t do it alone. Please join me in thanking the “back of the house.” These are the team at Regus Northbrook Place who safely collect my mail and make my clients feel welcome. I am grateful for Dylan, Kathryn and the whole Global Patent Solutions staff who search every client’s invention with the precision they deserve. Jim at Straight Line Services truly brings your prototypes to life. My bookkeeper, Ray, watches my money like a hawk. My IT team near and far: JT, Bobby, Dan and Cliff, keep my website and client files clean and safe.

Happy New Year and looking forward to seeing what 2026 brings!