Legal Services & Lawyers

Philip A. Prorok earned his Juris Doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2010, with a Certificate in Intellectual Property Law. Philip previously worked as a law clerk for Waltz, Palmer & Dawson, learning the ins and outs of WPD’s various practice areas. He spent last summer working in the Cook County Assessor’s Office, dealing with property tax assessment matters and other issues affecting the running of that governmental office.

Philip graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2007, with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. He has passed the United States Patent and Trademark Registration Examination and is a registered patent attorney.

Phil focuses his practice in the areas of Business Law, Commercial Litigation and Intellectual Property.

Richards Patent Law is a Chicago, IL area patent law firm serving individuals and businesses of all sizes. I work with clients from across the United States and around the world to prepare, file and prosecute patents at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

I started Richards Patent Law after spending over eight years in the intellectual property group of the Chicago office of McDermott Will & Emery LLP, a large general practice firm where I concentrated my practice on patent prosecution, counseling, opinion work and litigation.

As a partner at McDermott, I managed international patent portfolios for several major corporations, as well as a number of small and medium sized businesses. I have experience in all phases of utility, design and PCT patent prosecution in many technical fields, including the areas of mechanical, electrical, computer systems, chemical and financial products technologies.

In addition to my extensive patent prosecution experience, I have counseled numerous clients on matters concerning: patent portfolio acquisition and management; patent portfolio licenses, sales and purchases; joint development agreements; freedom to practice opinions; patentability opinions; non-infringement opinions; and employment and non-compete agreements.

Representative technologies:
* computer software patents
* medical device patents
* dental device patents
* plastic packaging patents
* wireless networks patents
* electronic control systems patents
* electronic security systems patents
* automated electronic advertising systems patents
* electrolytic compositions and devices patents
* injection molding equipment patents
* machining and tooling instruments and products patents
* automotive technology patents
* advanced materials patents
* financial services and investments patents
* musical equipment patents
* business method patents
* green technology and sustainable technology patents

I earned my bachelors of science in civil engineering, with honors from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. I earned my law degree from the University of Virginia, School of Law. I am admitted to practice before the courts of Illinois and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and am registered to practice for the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Mr. Burdick is an expert patent, trademark and copyright attorney who specializes in intellectual property law of all types, including litigation and prosecution for businesses and individuals alike. He is frequently retained by other patent attorneys for litigation matters due to his incredible array of corporate and private law experience and is nationally known as an advocate for independent inventors and start-up businesses. He runs one of the world's best intellectual property websites www.burdlaw.com and in keeping it current, keeps himself up to date in all areas of intellectual property practice.


He has been a Registered Patent Attorney since 1974. He is licensed to practice in Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas, before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Western District Of Missouri, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. He is both a Certified Mediator in Intellectual Property and a Certified Arbitrator in Intellectual Property by the World Intellectual Property Organization of Geneva, Switzerland as well as an approved neutral for the US District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri.