Ross G. Hicks, Ph.D.

Ross G. Hicks, Ph.D., is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Electronics Practice Group. He applies extensive engineering and management experience to assist clients obtain patent protection for their cutting-edge inventions. He prepares and prosecutes patent applications in a broad variety of technical fields including high frequency electronics, RF and microwave electronics, electronic design automation software, telecommunications, semiconductor design, lithography, fingerprint capture and analysis, and business methods.

Prior to joining Sterne Kessler, Ross worked in numerous engineering and management positions within the commercial electronics and defense contractor community. During his tenure, companies have achieved pioneering advances in electronic design automation software, microwave circuit performance, and telecommunications and wireless systems development. He has authored numerous technical papers on microwave technology, and continues to occasionally peer review technical papers for IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques. Prior to joining private industry, he was a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

Ross is a contributing author of Patent Office Litigation, Second Edition, published in 2017 by Thomson Reuters Westlaw. The book provides a fresh and comprehensive exploration of patent office litigation proceedings, including how the proceedings interact with other aspects of patent procurement and enforcement, while delivering practical analysis and advice.

Ross received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of New Hampshire School of Law, Franklin Pierce Center for Intellectual Property. During law school, he served on the Pierce Law Review editorial staff. He was also a member of the National Second Place Team in the 2007 AIPLA Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition. During the summer of 2005, he capitalized on the opportunity to study at the Pierce Law China IP Summer Institute in Beijing, China. He received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Queensland, and his M.B.A. from Northeastern University. Ross holds a B.E. (Elect) from the University of Queensland where he graduated with first class honors.

Technical Publications

• “From AT&T to Brand X: Declining Checks and Balances in an Increasingly Complex Marketplace,” 5 Pierce L. Rev.113 (2007).