LAWYER PROFILE
Tom Cowan

Tom Cowan

USA 2026

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Ranked in 1 practice area

About

Provided by Knobbe Martens

Practice Areas

IP Transactions, Agreements & Venture Capital

Patent Strategy & Prosecution

Trade Secret

Trademark & Brand Protection

Career

Tom is Chair of our Mechanical Engineering Practice Group and has practiced intellectual property law for more than a decade. As a former aerospace engineer at NASA and Northrop Grumman, and with a master’s degree in biomedical engineering, he is a trusted IP partner to aerospace and medical technology companies.

Clients rely on Tom to develop and execute IP strategy tailored to specific business goals. He counsels companies on overall IP strategy, performs IP audits, prosecutes patents, develops trade secret protections, conducts pre-litigation enforcement of IP rights, negotiates licenses, and conducts offensive and defensive diligence such as patentability and infringement studies.

Tom has deep experience helping startup clients develop IP assets and defend diligence for financing and M&A activities. Since 2016, he has prosecuted patents and conducted IP diligence in deals cumulatively valued at over $800M, including over $700M for medical device clients and over $100M for aerospace and mechanical clients.

Tom was in the firm’s San Diego office for 10 years and is currently based out of southwest Florida.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Chambers Guide to the USA

Intellectual Property: Patent Prosecution - California

Up-and-coming Individual
Up and Coming

Individual Editorial

Tom Cowan co‑chairs the Mechanical Engineering Practice Group at Knobbe Martens and is regularly retained for his counsel on prosecution and IP diligence in the aerospace, mechanical and medical device fields.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Tom Cowan is always quick to respond and provides valuable insight into our strategic options.

    Intellectual Property: Patent ProsecutionChambers Guide to the USA
  • He is an experienced attorney.

    Intellectual Property: Patent ProsecutionChambers Guide to the USA

Ranked Individuals at Knobbe Martens (9)

California

  • Profile image of Salima Merani, PhD
    Salima Merani, PhD

    Intellectual Property: Patent Prosecution

    View profile
  • Profile image of Lynda Zadra-Symes
    Lynda Zadra-Symes

    Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets

    View profile
  • Profile image of Salima Merani, PhD
    Salima Merani, PhD

    Life Sciences: IP/Patent Litigation

    View profile

District of Columbia

Washington

  • Profile image of Carol Pitzel Cruz
    Carol Pitzel Cruz

    Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation

    View profile
  • Profile image of Melanie Seelig
    Melanie Seelig

    Intellectual Property: Patent Prosecution

    View profile

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