François-Xavier Leduc

In the most recent episode of IP Innovators, host Steve Brachmann sits down with Stephanie Curcio, CEO and co-founder of NLPatent, to unpack how AI is reshaping prosecution, search, and the overall workflow across patent professions. Curcio, who began her career in traditional patent drafting and prosecution, explains how early concept-based AI search tools convinced her the profession was on the verge of a seismic shift.

In the latest episode of IP Innovators, host Steve Brachmann speaks with Aaron Capron, partner and head of the Patent Office Practice at Finnegan, about how patent prosecution is evolving across AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, and other rapidly developing fields. Throughout the discussion, Capron consistently returns to themes that resonate deeply with experienced patent practitioners: the importance of thinking like an examiner, the need for robust infrastructure to manage complex portfolios, and the reality that legal technology—especially AI—requires thoughtful integration, not simple adoption.

In the latest episode of IP Innovators, host Steve Brachmann discusses the evolution of patent practice, in-house innovation, and the growing role of AI with Phil Harris, Equity Partner and Patent Practice Group Leader at Holland & Hart. As firms navigate when to build their own tools versus partnering with vendors, Harris offers a grounded look at how automation is reshaping the daily realities of patent work, and why the most forward-thinking teams treat innovation not as a one-time project, but as a continuous practice.

In the third episode of IP Innovators, host Steve Brachmann sits down with Mark Kesslen, Partner and Chair of the Intellectual Property Group at Lowenstein Sandler, to trace a career that spans from the dawn of online banking and the FinTech revolution to the rise of AI in patent law. As AI tools become increasingly common in law firms and patent practices across the United States, Kesslen offers a firsthand view of how attorneys are learning to integrate these systems effectively and responsibly. From his early work digitizing finance at LabMorgan to leading AI adoption in a top-tier IP practice, Kesslen’s story reflects a profession once again at a turning point defined by the mantra: “Trust, but verify.”

In the second episode of IP Innovators, host Steve Brachmann sits down with Chris Agrawal, Managing Partner at Bookoff McAndrews, to explore a career that spans from physically thumbing through paper patents at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to piloting generative AI tools in a modern, cloud-first law firm. Chris Agrawal’s story is one of transformation—not just personal, but systemic, as the practice of patent law adapts to technology at every level.