Alka A. Patel
ALKA A. PATEL is an associate in the Intellectual Property practice of Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP. She has expertise in patent prosecution, due diligence analysis, litigation support, portfolio management, strategic assessments, intellectual property licensing and client counseling. Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, Ms. Patel is also registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Ms. Patel joined Pietragallo after serving as a senior associate with the Pittsburgh office of a national law firm. Prior to that, she was an attorney at an IP boutique firm as well as intellectual property counsel for one of the largest and most diversified specialty metals producers in the world. Ms. Patel worked as a metallurgical engineer for a national specialty metals company prior to her legal career.
She has drafted and filed patent applications domestically and internationally related to the areas of material sciences, metallurgy, chemical, medical devices, nanotechnology and business methods; managed patent portfolios and helped businesses ensure that new inventions are adequately documented and protected, whether through patent or trade secret laws; and provided litigation support in cases brought before the federal courts, securing trademark and copyright registrations for consumer product manufacturers and other businesses.
Ms. Patel is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions. She was most recently recognized by the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Minority Attorney Committee with an Award of Excellence for her efforts as a community builder and social engineer. Ms. Patel is a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer Rising Star for 2008. That year she also was the recipient of the Distinguished Young Alumni Award from the University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering. In 2006, Ms. Patel was selected for the Distinguished New Engineer Award from the Society of Women Engineers and was named one the Pittsburgh area’s top 50 “fast trackers” under the age of 45 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. She also was named to the “40 Under 40” list of leading young professionals by Pittsburgh Magazine in 2003 and received the ASM Outstanding Young Member Award in 2001. Ms. Patel has also been listed in the International Who’s Who of Professionals, as well as “Who’s Who in Engineering” by the Pittsburgh Business Times.
Ms. Patel received her J.D. from the Duquesne University School of Law and her M.B.A. from Duquesne University. She earned her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering.
Ms. Patel is currently serving as a Pennsylvania Bar Association Zone 12 House of Delegates member. She is also the founding chair of the Asian Attorneys Committee of the Allegheny County Bar Association and is a past president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. Ms. Patel is also a member of the Executive Women’s Council of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Law Association and the National Association of Female Executives. Ms. Patel is also very active with a number of nonprofit boards, including the University of Pittsburgh Alumni Association, and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. She is a former board member of the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh, Girl Scouts Trillium Council and the Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project.