Jon E. Wright

Jon E. Wright serves as Sterne Kessler’s general counsel, overseeing all legal affairs of the firm, including litigation, risk management, ethics, and compliance-related issues. He advises firm leadership and attorneys on policy development, data security, insurance, and investigations. Jon serves on the firm’s client and ethics committees. As the firm’s ethics advisor, he provides ethics and risk management training to attorneys and staff. In addition, he reviews and negotiates contract agreements on behalf of the firm.

Prior to his role as general counsel, Jon was a director in Sterne Kessler’s Trial & Appellate Practice Group and former co-chair of the firm’s PTAB Trials practice and its Appellate practice. During his over 20-year career in intellectual property, Jon focused on contested proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and on appeal of those cases to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He also has extensive experience in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in the electronics industry, including software, hardware, communications, networking, and semiconductors.

Before joining Sterne Kessler, Jon clerked at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit for the Honorable Alvin A. Schall.

Jon received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Vermont where he was vice president of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society, and President of UVM’s IEEE chapter. Through his co-op experience at UVM, Jon worked in semiconductor manufacturing for industry leader International Business Machines. Jon earned his law degree, with high honors, from the George Mason University School of Law. While at George Mason, Jon served as the managing editor of the George Mason Law Review.

In between his undergraduate studies and law school, Jon spent seven years as an Officer in the U.S. Navy Submarine Force where he qualified as a Naval Nuclear Engineer. His tour included three years on the nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine USS TAUTOG (SSN 639) out of Pearl Harbor, HI. He followed that exciting experience with almost three years at COMSUBGRU 7 in Yokosuka, Japan. In his spare time, Jon enjoys alpine skiing, golf, triathlon, and pretty much anything that gets him outdoors with his family.