Giordana Mahn is a patent prosecutor who has focused her career on working with female inventors, including ones who have founded companies. Prior to law school, she obtained a mechanical engineering degree from University of Michigan in 2009. During her time at Michigan, Giordana decided to take a patent law seminar that changed the trajectory of her career and set her sights on intellectual property (IP) law. She pursued a career in IP law and graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2014. During her time at Loyola, she was a member of the Mediation team, the Loyola University Chicago Law Journal, worked on the Health Justice Project, and worked as a Judicial Extern for Judge Kendall of the Northern District of Illinois. Following graduation, Giordana began her career at Marshall, Gerstein, and Borun, a firm specializing in IP as a patent prosecutor, meaning she helps inventors obtain and maintain patents for their inventions. She currently works at Fish & Richardson, where she has continued her career in IP counseling and prosecuting foreign and domestic patents.
Navigating FemTech and Patents: An Interview with Giordana Mahn
Meet Giordana Mahn, a Loyola law graduate who has leveraged her background in engineering to focus her career in IP strategy [which helps a company or individual identify or manage their IP assets], particularly in Female Tech (“FemTech”) and health technology. FemTech focuses on technologies and innovations that improve women’s health. Giordana’s practice includes filing patent applications on wearable technology, gynecological devices, personal care devices, and a wide range of medical devices. After speaking with Giordana, I am excited to share a glimpse into her story and relay advice she has for those wanting to follow in her footsteps.
The following is a revised version of our conversation, with brackets added to provide my own explanations of certain legal and intellectual property (IP) terms for readers who may be less familiar with them.
What did you get involved with at Loyola that you believe helped you in your IP career?
When I was in law school, I tried to take as many classes that sounded interesting to me because I didn’t really have that option in engineering school. I really liked the IP Survey class and Professor Ho’s Global Access to Medicine class, because [the Global Access class] really was impactful on how patents play a role on the international level. This class showed me how patents can restrict access to life-saving medical innovations. I’m conscious of how patent law can both stimulate and incentivize innovative solutions and medical discoveries while also keep certain innovations out of reach for many.
Probably one of my favorite things I did in law school was work at the Health Justice project. It had nothing to do with intellectual property, but I learned how my legal background can help people that need guidance around housing law in Chicago. I loved seeing the medical legal partnership benefit [patients, healthcare providers, legal professionals, and society generally]. It was a great practice and training for client interaction. I also got my mediation certificate through Loyola, and I still mediate today. Most of the pro bono work I do is mediation at Chicago’s Center for Conflict Resolution.
I also really enjoyed externing for a federal judge. I think, especially for IP, it’s important to try and get a federal externship. Even though I didn’t work on a patent case, it valued the behind-the-scenes experience. I think any judicial externship or clerkship, especially if you’re interested in litigation, could really be helpful.
What are some ways outside of classes that you incorporated IP into law school?
I participated in Chicago IP organizations and was a student member of the Linn Inn. Also, Chicago Kent School of Law hosts an IP law symposium. Attending this was helpful. I would suggest even sitting and listening to people lecture and just asking questions. Don’t be afraid to find out more about what interests you about IP.
I also focused my law journal article on patent trolls [an individual or company that uses patents to file lawsuits against others, rather than for protecting an actual product], which was always an interest of mine. If there’s something about IP that you find interesting, try and find a way to incorporate that into a writing, whether that’s a blog, journal, or article.
I would also suggest signing up for certain newsletters [Patently-O, CHIWIP, etc] just to stay on top of what’s going on in the IP world and to see what people are talking about.
What are some “soft” skills that you would need to be successful in this field?
I think apart from your technical background, it’s important to be personable. I think it’s important to have empathy, to be able to understand the client or the partner and where they’re coming from. It serves me well when people can see that I’m being earnest when I’m working hard. They can see that I’m trying to meet the people that I work with where they are. So, when I meet with an inventor, I often like to find out, for example, how much exposure to the patent system or patent examination process they have.
Another skill that can be hard to admit, is being open to say “I know nothing about [whatever it is].” I learned that it’s okay to say, “I know nothing about this,” because it doesn’t indicate what I am good at or what I can do. I am open to identifying what I don’t know because I enjoy learning new things, and I will never be done learning new things. Being honest can help you find the information you need to be successful.
Tell me about your passion for working with female founders and inventors.
I love working with women. I didn’t get a ton of exposure to working with women in engineering school. The women that I did work with were amazing, but I just didn’t have a ton of exposure.
During Covid, I had just had my son. I was thinking about what a wild time it was in the world and evaluating the time I spent away from my son. I kept asking myself what am I doing? Do I enjoy this day to day? As I reevaluated, I thought about what would make it easier for me to be away from my kid. I realized that it was working with women and working in women’s health.
Currently, there’s a disparity in the number of named women inventors in patents issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, even though women are innovating just as much. There has been a lot of effort in promoting and increasing representation of women inventors in the Patent Office. What I like to do is ask the inventors what they know about the patent process, because so many times that knowledge is passed down through natural mentorships, and mentorships form naturally between people that are similar. Most of that knowledge is passed down through men, and women, especially women of color, are left out of these opportunities and discussions.
For me, it’s important to talk about the patent process with women innovators, so that they know their ideas are worthy of raising for patentability [whether they have a patentable invention] and filing [whether they should pursue a patent application]. So many times, they’ve said that their ideas were taken and they weren’t credited in the resulting patent application. For me, it’s helping to level the playing field if I can get that information out there. I want to work with women to help them realize that they are worthy of investment, that their work matters, and that patent law can protect their innovations.
There is a lot of attention and momentum in [innovations in] women’s health right now, and patents will follow. Another reason why I love working with women is that they often will invent to solve issues that affect women differently than men, predominantly affect women, or are unique to women. Research in women’s health is incredibly lacking and needing of attention and funding. And so, I am encouraged by different movements in women’s health that are drawing attention to this huge need. I’m hopeful that women’s health technology patent filings will also increase. [Check out some of Giordana’s blog posts!]
As an LUC Law Alumni, what was your transition like from law school to practice?
It’s a huge change for everyone. In IP, you start using your technical background. You start drawing from that right away. You begin to work with clients and start the billable hours. You aren’t just drafting a practice brief at school where you can take as much time as you need. There is a steep learning curve in patent prosecution, to really understand all the aspects and nuances related to drafting patent claims [the components of a patent that define the scope of protection and tell others exactly what the patented invention covers]. Your firm shouldn’t be too hard on you about it, but it takes time to really understand this field.
What advice would you give to students about networking?
Networking can be hard. I remember in law school networking and thinking, all I want is a job, why am I networking except to say, “Please give me a job.” It wasn’t until I started working in women’s health where it didn’t become such a pain. Working in this sector, I’m meeting people who are also interested in this, and networking is all about finding things that you have in common with people, talking about that, brainstorming, and collaborating. Once you do those things, it doesn’t feel forced.
It can be hard as a law student to network. Sometimes, you treat every interaction like it’s a job interview when it’s not, and it shouldn’t be like that. I would encourage people to seek out people that you admire or people with careers that you aspire to have.
I also participated in Linn Inn oral advocacy challenge [where I argued a mock case before some federal judges]. It was the most terrifying thing ever, but you can also get exposure to attorneys this way.
You can join a committee of an organization [such as IPLAC, CHIWIP, etc], start working with people, and they see how well you organize events and programming. Making these connections helps make networking easier.
Also, participate in mentorship opportunities. It’s helpful when you are in a spot where people are also willing to give their time.
Katelyn Sears
Assistant Blogger
Loyola University Chicago School of Law, J.D. 2026