Russ Slifer served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Currently Mr. Slifer assists clients in patent portfolio development, PTAB litigation and as an expert witness in IP-related litigation.

Russ is the Chairman of the Induction Board of the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame. He previously served on the Board of the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) and as President of the Association of Corporate Patent Counsel (ACPC).

As Deputy Director of the USPTO, Russ managed all day-to-day operations of the USPTO and was a member of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). During his time at the USPTO, Mr. Slifer presided over trials before the PTAB and TTAB. Mr. Slifer was the first Director of the Rocky Mountain Region USPTO, serving as the agency’s primary liaison with the innovation community in the Rocky Mountain Region.

Prior to his government service, Russ was the Chief Patent Counsel for Micron Technology for ten years where he established corporate IP strategy and managed an extremely large patent portfolio. Russ started his professional career as an electrical engineer for Honeywell where he designed sensors primarily for the automotive industry.

In 2022, Mr. Slifer served as an expert witness in two cases for Hueston Hennigan LLP and energy drink maker Monster Energy Co. where Hueston Hennigan, as lead counsel, achieved significant awards. MONSTER ENERGY COMPANY v. VITAL PHARMACEUTICALS, INC., 01-20-0005-6081, American Arbitration Association and MONSTER ENERGY COMPANY v. VITAL PHARMACEUTICALS, INC., 5:18-cv-1882-JGB-SHK, United States District Court Central District of California.