Bryan Kirkpatrick: Council of Outstanding Early Career Engineers - 2012

Attorney/Shareholder, Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt | Portland, Ore. 

After graduating from Oregon State University, Bryan Kirkpatrick took a decade-long break from education to work as a stability system analyst, mechanical engineer, and intellectual property manager for NACCO Materials Handling Group, a global forklift manufacturing company. His work on intellectual property at NACCO piqued his interest in legal matters and allowed him to concurrently attend Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College and earn a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 2001. Today, Kirkpatrick provides legal advice and manages patent portfolios for clients ranging from established industry leaders to cutting-edge startups. He is currently representing Oregon State University as patent counsel for a number of inventions related to the production of nuclear energy and the generation of medical isotopes. “My degree from Oregon State translated well into other types of engineering work in which I became engaged,” says Kirkpatrick. “Over the past few years, I have had the great pleasure to work with OSU professors and graduate students in obtaining patent protection for a number of inventions, including a next-generation nuclear reactor system that is currently in the process of getting certification from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.”