Brenna Legaard is a partner and a member of the IP Litigation and IP Procurement and Portfolio Management practice groups.
Clients rely on Brenna to mastermind and help them execute their intellectual property strategies. She helps them develop intellectual property portfolios and leverage those portfolios to win investments, strategic partnerships, customer relationships, and licensing revenue. She asserts clients' intellectual property assets against infringers, helps them manage risk, and defends them when they are accused of infringement. She works with clients at all stages and of all sizes, from pre-revenue start-ups to the Fortune 50, and across multiple industries including software, hardware, aerospace, medical device, and sportswear and apparel.
Prior to joining the firm Brenna served at an American firm in Portland, where she focused her practice on intellectual property.
- Listed in the Best Lawyers in America® in Portland
- Litigation - Intellectual Property, 2011-2024
- Litigation - Patent, 2011-2024
- Patent Law, 2011-2024
- Commercial Litigation, 2013-2024
- IAM Patent 1000: The World's Leading Patent Professionals, 2014-2020, 2023
- Named to the Oregon Super Lawyers list for Intellectual Property, 2016-2020
- Woman of Influence, Portland Business Journal, 2016
- “Forty under 40,” Portland Business Journal, 2014)
- Recognized by Chambers USA for Intellectual Property in Oregon, 2015-2016
Brenna is passionately committed to winning access to mental healthcare for every child who needs it. Her perspective is informed by her experiences parenting her son, who has autism. She has worked with a number of state agencies and the Oregon Legislative Assembly to expand access to mental healthcare through private insurance and Medicaid, and she has worked with Oregon’s congressional delegation on national policy surrounding access to mental healthcare under Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid. She has worked to eradicate discrimination against children who struggle with mental illness through both policy work and litigation. As part of a network of parents, she has served as a resource for other families of children with autism. She currently serves as a member of that state of Oregon's Behavior Analysis Regulatory Board, to which she was appointed by Governor Kate Brown in 2015.
- Presenter, Washington Association of Corporate Counsel Annual Technology Summit (October 2020)
- Presenter, Oregon Association for Behavior Analysis Annual Conference (October 2019)
- Presenter, Association of Corporate Counsel 5th Annual Technology Summit (June 2018)
- Presenter, IP Strategy Summit: Seattle (May 2018)
- Presenter, Evolve Your Startup - The NEW Global Workforce (April 2018)
- Presenter, Business Summit Mini-MBA, Association of Corporate Counsel, Washington Chapter (September 2017)
- Presenter, NW Technology Showcase 2016 (May 2016)
- Co-panelist "Canaries in the Coalmine: Succeeding as Female Counsel in Male-Dominated Industries (Elimination of Bias CLE)," ABA Young Lawyers Division Fall Conference (October 2014)
- Co-presenter, Patent System Boot Camp: An In-depth Primer," Technology Association of Oregon (January 2014)
- Co-presenter, "Legal Forum: Trademark, Copyright, and Design Patent Boot Camp," Technology Association of Oregon (February 2013)
- “Applying US Trademark Law to NFTs,” Bloomberg Law, July 2022
- “OP-ED: Blockchain Has the Power to Transform the Patient Experience,” State of Reform (June 2019)
- “Brexit Is Coming. What Does the Future Hold for Intellectual Property Rights in the United Kingdom?” (August 2016)
- Ruling Dismisses Antitrust Claims Against AMTSO (August 2019)
- "Developing a Patent Infringement Risk-Assessment Strategy — How to Plan for Being Accused of Infringement," Oregon Business magazine, Co-author (February 2014)
- "Has Patent Reform Changed Texas?" Oregon's State Bar's Litigation Section newsletter (Spring 2013)
- "K&L Gates adds IP partner in Portland," IPMagazine.com (January 2021)
- "Wake Up Call: Brown Rudnick Settles Botched Bankruptcy Suit," BloombergLaw.com (January 2021)
- “Lawsuit claims kindergarten student was target of racially motivated attacks by white classmates, school failed to respond,” KGW News 8 (August 2020)
- “Lawsuit takes aim at Portland school district’s treatment of autistic students,” Portland Tribune (December 2019)
- “Lawsuit: Gresham-Barlow failed to support disabled student,” The Outlook (March 2019)
- “PPS decides to leave school for special needs kids in place,” Portland Business Journal (April 2018)
- “West Coast breast milk purveyors duke it out in court,” Portland Business Journal (August 2017)
- “State Will Tell Insurers to Stop Denying Autism Treatment,” Willamette Week (January 2017)
- “40 Under 40: Brenna Legaard is on an amaze-ing journey,” Portland Business Journal (February 2014)
- “A Patent Winner: Brenna Legaard Goes to the Mat,“ Oregon State Bar Bulletin (April 2010)
