Steven G. Lisa is a registered patent attorney and is a member of the Arizona and Illinois State Bar, Patent Bar and Trial Bar. He is admitted to practice before numerous Federal District and Appellate Courts.
In 1981, Mr. Lisa obtained from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign his BS in Electrical Engineering, with a specialty in Solid State Technology. He then attended law school, first at Arizona State University and then at the University of Chicago, obtaining his law degree in 1984. Before graduating from law school, Mr. Lisa passed the US Patent Bar, and was admitted in 1983 to practice before the Patent Office. Mr. Lisa received academic honors at each of the University of Illinois, ASU, and the University of Chicago.
Mr. Lisa has practiced exclusively in the specialized field of intellectual property law, with a focus on patents, trademarks, and trade secret protection. He began as an associate in Chicago, learning under the preeminent IP litigation and licensing attorney, Gerald D. Hosier, Esq. There, Mr. Lisa learned to conduct trials on complex patent and trade secret cases, and to work efficiently and creatively to assess and resolve disputes. Mr. Hosier was a pioneer in developing contingent fee representation in patent cases, and Mr. Lisa worked closely with Mr. Hosier on the famous Lemelson licensing program. In 1991, Mr. Lisa opened the Law Offices of Steven G. Lisa, Ltd. However, Mr. Hosier and Mr. Lisa continued thereafter to work together on high-profile, contingent fee patent enforcement programs.
A large part of Mr. Lisa’s practice currently involves representing major research universities, individuals, and small companies on patent licensing and litigation matters on a contingent fee basis. He has served as lead counsel on highly successful licensing and enforcement matters, including most recently for the Washington Research Foundation (Suominen Low IF patents) and Helferich Patent Licensing (wireless messaging patents). He has extensive experience in leading litigation teams before the Patent Office in contested post-grant review proceedings, and in the licensing, litigation, and trials of complex patent matters.
Mr. Lisa has also contributed a substantial amount of time and resources to major research universities while promoting education in the field of patent law. At the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, Mr. Lisa is an Inaugural Member of the Dean’s Council, is an Adjunct Professor teaching a course on Patent Licensing and Enforcement, and through his donations established the Lisa Foundation Patent Law Clinic to provide students with hands-on experience in real-world patent prosecution, licensing, and litigation. Through the Lisa Family Foundation, Mr. Lisa also recently helped establish the Barrow Neuro-Innovation Center in Phoenix Arizona. The Lisa Family Foundation has also made many grants in the fields of health, education, youth athletic programs, animal welfare, emergency/disaster relief, and religion.
Steve met his wife Laurie in 1979, while at the University of Illinois, where Laurie earned her Bachelor of Science degree in English Education. They were married in 1981, and have three children: Anthony, Michelle, and Caitlin. Simultaneously with raising three children, Laurie earned her Master’s and Doctorate in English, with honors, at Arizona State University.
Auto Racing
Mr. Lisa is also a professional race car driver. He has driven in numerous professional racing series, including the SCCA World Challenge Touring Car Series, the Grand Am Rolex Series, the Grand Am Cup Series, the SCORE Off-road Series, and the Best In the Desert (BITD) Racing Series. He also competes in amateur racing with the SCCA and numerous vintage racing associations. He has driven at more than thirty race tracks worldwide, in many different types of vehicles, including: Rolex GT cars at the 24 Hours of Daytona; a Ferrari 355GT at Monza, Italy; Indy Lights at Road America, Class 12 Desert Cars in Baja, and unlimited Class 1 Desert Cars in the “Vegas-to-Reno” desert race. He has been on the podium 7 times in professional car races, including a win in the Rolex Series, a second place finish in the BITD Series, and a third place finish at the Baja 1000.
The Law Offices of Steven G. Lisa, Ltd. has long sponsored professional auto and cycling race teams, under the banner “Patent It! Racing” and has offered specialized patent services to the racing community and sponsors.
Partner and Founder
Registered Patent Attorney
email: stevelisa@patentit.com
direct: 480.442.0297
fax: 312.896.5633
