Erik Puknys

Erik Puknys’ career in intellectual property began more than 25 years ago, when he joined the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office as a patent examiner.
Erik, currently serving his second term as the Palo Alto office managing partner, started his legal career at Finnegan’s Washington, D.C. office in 1994, and moved to California in 1997 to help open an office in Silicon Valley. He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in district courts around the United States, in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and in the U.S. Supreme Court. He has worked for startups and Fortune 100 companies in a wide variety of technical fields, including software, telecommunications, computer hardware, semiconductors, medical diagnostics, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals.

Erik is consistently recognized for his work as a leading patent litigator. He has been recognized by The Legal 500 U.S. for patent litigation, and as a leading patent litigator in California by Intellectual Asset Management. He was selected as one of the 75 Leading Intellectual Property Litigators in California by the Daily Journal. Erik was named in The 2015 BTI Client Service All-Stars for “superior client service.”

Firm leadership roles over the years include serving as leader of the firm’s appellate section; managing partner of the firm’s Palo Alto office; as a member of the firm’s management and compensation committees; and as partner-in-charge of recruiting in the firm’s Palo Alto office, of which Erik is a founding member.

In his pro bono practice, Erik represented an honorably discharged, disabled veteran, in an appeal from a denial of benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He has been recognized on the Capital Pro Bono High Honor Roll.