Bea Koempel-Thomas

Bea leads Lee & Hayes’ International Practice. She advises and assists clients on a variety of intellectual property issues including drafting patent applications for international prosecution to enhance the business value of assets and managing international patent portfolios. Bea applies her knowledge of US and global patent policy and procedures at drafting and during prosecution to meaningfully advance her clients’ interests.

Bea’s technical expertise spans computer related technologies, mechanical and electrical devices. While her practice focuses on information security, data mining and business methods, she facilitates international IP protection for clients across the firm with an emphasis on partnering with the right foreign counsel for each client. Bea is ranked as one of the top 1000 patent practitioners worldwide by Intellectual Asset Magazine (IAM).

Prior to joining the firm, Bea served as a Patent Examiner at the USPTO in the technologies of computer security and cryptography, which has enabled her to more efficiently prosecute applications and minimize costs to her clients. She also worked as a legal intern for the Washington State Attorney General and the Spokane County Prosecutor.