This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Ellyar Y. Barazesh, Senior Associate in the Intellectual Property group at Baker Botts, residing in the Austin, Texas office  Ellyar's practice focuses on patent prosecution and counseling, post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and patent litigation. He has significant experience working with clients in a wide range of technology areas, including computer hardware and software, control systems, artificial intelligence, networking technologies, location tracking systems, video and image processing, semiconductor devices, data encryption, graphical user interfaces, and medical devices.   Prior to joining the firm, Ellyar was a Senior Patent Counsel at Unified Patents, LLC. There, he focused on PTAB proceedings, reexaminations before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and international opposition proceedings. He has also served as a patent examiner at the USPTO, examining patent applications related to video compression and imaging.   Ellyar earned his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. During his undergraduate studies, he worked at a multinational engineering company researching optical systems and is a co-inventor on a U.S. patent related to his research. Ellyar earned his JD from Georgetown University Law Center, where he received the Leon Robbin Patent Award for achieving the highest grades in patent law courses of his graduating class, and served as a member of The Tax Lawyer.  Connect with Ellyar on LinkedIn.  Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.    Learn more about VPG here.