Weisun Rao, Ph.D. - Managing Partner

For over 20 years, Dr. Rao has assisted clients developing, monetizing and enforcing their global intellectual property (IP) portfolios and growing business on the strength of their IP. He is experienced in drafting and prosecuting patent applications throughout the world, and performing patentability and freedom-to-operate searches and analysis. He regularly conducts IP due diligence and renders opinions as part of venture transactions, mergers and acquisitions, licensing transactions, and collaborations; and has extensive experience in drafting and negotiating licensing agreements, co-development and commercialization agreements, material transfer agreements, clinical trial agreements, among others.

Dr. Rao also regularly represents issuers or sponsors in initial public offerings on NASDAQ, the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Aligning clients’ IP strategies with business objectives, he provides pragmatic solutions to sophisticated legal issues and has successfully assisted clients minimizing risks and maximizing interest. He has served clients in industries spanning life sciences (pharmaceutical, biotechnology, nutraceutical, and medical devices), electronics, consumer goods, industrial chemicals, specialty materials, and financial services. His representative clients include private and public companies of various sizes, entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capital and private equity firms, investment banks, universities, and research institutes in North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and South Africa. 

Bar Membership

* State Bar of Illinois 

* State Bar of Michigan

* District of Columbia Bar

* United States Patent and Trademark Office

Education

* The Ohio State University College of Law (J.D., 2005)

* The University of Akron (Ph.D. in Chemistry, 1998)

* Jilin University (B.S. in Chemistry, 1994)

Ms. Chen focuses her practice on patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and business matters, with an emphasis on patent and trademark applications, IP due diligence, IP management, and IP licensing agreements. 

She provides strategic guidance and assistance on patent and trademark prosecution, domestic and worldwide portfolio management, IP licensing, disputes, and enforcement. Additionally, she handles due diligence investigations; prepares non-disclosure, transfer, and business agreements; and provides patentability, validity, infringement, and freedom-to-operate assessments. She also represents companies and investors in various technology transactions and M&A deals. She is experienced in handling both legal and business needs in the United States and China, and regularly works with law firms overseas to arrange for filing and prosecuting patent and trademark applications throughout the world. 

She provides practical, business-oriented strategies and solutions to her clients, which include a variety of companies, research institutes, and investors in medical device, life science, pharmaceutical, chemical, engineering, and software industries.

Bar Membership

* State Bar of Illinois

* District of Columbia Bar

* United States Patent and Trademark Office

Education

* Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., 2013)

* Indiana University School of Law – Bloomington (LL.M., 2009)

* Tianjin University (B.Eng. in  Biomedical Engineering & LL.B, 2008) 

Ms. Liu has been a corporate and international business lawyer for more than ten years, with extensive experience in both international and corporate legal matters.  Before starting her own practice, Ms. Liu worked with medium-large sized international law firms in China and the U.S. Her practice includes cross-border investments, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, licensing, financing, commercial contracting, corporate governance and general corporate matters. She has assisted a broad range of businesses from small startups to multinational corporations and non-profit organizations in various aspects of legal issues and business matters. 

Ms. Liu was a co-founder of an e-commerce startup. She also worked with NGOs, gave speeches in Chinese universities and published articles against illegal international timber trade and spent a month working and living with a Papua New Guinea tribe in 2006. Her pro bono work in PNG was made into a documentary film and reported in the Chinese media. She also worked as a volunteer in New Orleans for one week in 2009 to help rebuild communities and support grassroots efforts for improving infrastructure.

Bar Membership

* State Bar of Illinois 

* State Bar of New York

Education

* Chicago-Kent College of Law (LL.M. with honors, 2008)

* Peking University (LL.B., 1999)