Ellen M. Schwab

Patent work is not just about getting an application drafted and filed. It is about understanding the invention, the business behind it, and what matters to the people who created it.

Ellen Schwab takes the time to understand all three. Clients work with her when they want patent counsel who is technically capable, practical, responsive, and invested in building a long-term relationship.

She starts by listening. Especially with a new client or inventor, she gives people room to explain what they have created, why it matters, and what they are trying to accomplish. That conversation often provides insights that cannot be found in a technical disclosure alone.

From there, Ellen works to understand how the client’s business operates, including its internal processes, culture, and approach to innovation. That allows her to tailor her work to the way the client actually works rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach. She believes trust is earned over time, and she treats every patent application as an opportunity to earn the next one.

Clients also benefit from Ellen’s ability to move comfortably between technology, business considerations, and patent law. Her experience as a chemical engineer and supply chain manager gives her an understanding of how products and processes are developed and brought to market. She applies that perspective to patent preparation and prosecution, helping clients identify and clearly communicate the aspects of an invention that are important to protect.

For Ellen, good patent counsel also means being thoughtful about a client’s time and resources. She strives to be efficient, accurate, and straightforward, and she does not believe clients should pay for work that does not add value. She is willing to dig deeper when a matter calls for it, while keeping an eye on the larger business objective.

Honesty, accuracy, and a genuine approach guide Ellen’s work. She enjoys the intellectual challenge of patent law and the fact that every new invention brings something to learn. But what she values most is the relationship that develops along the way. When clients know they can trust their patent attorney to understand their technology, listen to their concerns, and follow through on what matters, the legal work becomes more effective, and the relationship becomes one that can grow with the business.

Ellen works with companies and inventors across a broad range of technologies, including chemical engineering, energy storage and battery technologies, polymers, foams, coatings, automotive and electric vehicle technologies, consumer products, footwear and sporting goods, manufacturing processes and equipment, materials, food and beverage production, and medical devices. Her practice includes domestic, international, and foreign patent preparation and prosecution, as well as patent validity and infringement opinions.

Ellen earned her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School and her B.S. in Chemical Engineering, magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan. She is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is admitted to the State Bar of Michigan.