ILTACON 2018 - Day 1 – Killing the Company, Robotic Process Automation, & Cool Swag | Ep. #05

In this episode for the protectors of cool stuff, we dialed in live from ILTACON 2018. Tom Marlow, Dr. Milena Higgins, and Gyles Uhlenhopp discuss Day 1 of ILTACON. The conversation ranges from the opening keynote with Lisa Bodell to sessions about robotic process automation. Tom Marlow is the Chief Technology Officer for Black Hills IP and is the President of Black Hills IP Renewals, our patent annuities management company.  Tom is a registered patent attorney and electrical engineer with a passion for IP systems.  Previously, Tom ran the IP department for a multi-billion dollar semiconductor manufacturing company where he oversaw worldwide IP strategy, enforcement, and procurement.  Tom taps his in-house and prior private practice experience to develop and deliver products and services that address known pain-points in the patent process.  Tom has spoken before diverse audiences from patent attorneys, to C-suite executives to engineers to startup founders on patent management, analysis, and strategy over the years.  Tom also has experience prosecuting and managing patent prosecution on a global scale and is the co-author of the Lexis published “US Patent Prosecutor’s Desk Reference”.  Tom was previously co-chair of the patent analytics and portfolio management department at the Minneapolis patent firm Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner, P.A.  He received his law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center, and Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Notre Dame. Milena Higgins is the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Artificial Intelligence for Black Hills IP. With more than 20 years of experience in Intellectual Property, she leads our Docketing and Paralegal teams to embrace change daily and always think of how to serve our customers more effectively. Inspired by the intersection of disciplines, Milena loves redesigning the delivery of legal services. By combining technology, human-centered design, and her business training together with her experience in patent litigation and prosecution, Milena guides Black Hills IP in our innovation journey to fully automated docketing. Milena has a Ph.D. in Physics and a Masters in Management of Technology. She is a registered patent agent and a certified scrum product owner. She has written for and led conference sessions for the International Legal Technology Association and was one of their three finalists for Innovative Project of the Year. When she’s not building bridges or herding cats, you’ll find her learning new lingo from her teenage kids or tweeting about the latest developments in Legal Tech, AI, and Design Thinking. Gyles Uhlenhopp is the Vice President of Marketing for Black Hills IP.  For Gyles, curiosity is king.  He is obsessed with uncovering hidden inefficiencies and energized by implementing new tactics to drive strategic growth.  He is a model ‘T-Shaped’ marketer, with deep competence in several areas.  He is equipped with the essential skills and mindset to get the job done right.  Prior to BHIP, he was leading the marketing department for a $100+ million company.  He has unique experience working with Fortune 500 companies and ushering quick innovation into stuffy industries. He begins each day at 2:45am and is always eager to tackle something new. Black Hills IP offers a full stack of Intellectual Property Support Services for Docketing, Paralegal, and Annuity Management. Our services are enhanced by advanced technology that is custom-made for both Law Firm & Corporate organizations.