Jacek Wnuk, Esq.

About The Lecturer

Jacek Wnuk is a trusted intellectual property advisor to Silicon Valley innovators and global enterprises developing cutting-edge technologies. With deep roots in both engineering and law, Jacek helps clients — from venture-backed startups to Fortune 100 companies — secure high-value patent portfolios across sectors like:

• Large language models and other machine learning and artificial intelligence systems
• Autonomous vehicles, including self-driving cars, drones and robotics
• 5G cellular networks, mobile devices and wearable technologies
• Cybersecurity, cryptography and blockchain infrastructure
• Medical devices, biotechnology and biosensor systems
• Semiconductor devices, fabrication equipment and manufacturing
• Imaging and optics, including cameras, LIDAR and advanced display systems
• 3D printing, aerospace systems and clean energy technologies

Before entering law, Jacek helped engineer early autonomous vehicle systems under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge. Today, he translates that technical acumen into robust patent protection and results-oriented IP counseling for next-generation technologies. He regularly advises on:

• Global patent prosecution and portfolio development, including patent strategy, mining, drafting, and prosecution
• Freedom-to-operate and due diligence analyses for acquisitions, funding, and standard essential patents
• Post-grant proceedings, such as reissues and reexaminations
• IP licensing and collaboration between industry and academia

Jacek has been recognized nationally for his work in intellectual property law. He received the American Bar Association’s ‘On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyers’ award in 2024, and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He has also been recognized by Best Lawyers with the Ones to Watch in America award in Patent Law and IP Law (from 2021 onward) and by Super Lawyers with the Rising Stars award (from 2021 onward). Jacek shares his knowledge regularly at continuing legal education (CLE) events, where he speaks on topics such as artificial intelligence in patent law.

Education

J.D., Loyola Law School-Los Angeles

B.S., University of California, Berkeley