Bernard Knight

Bernard  Knight was sworn-in as the USPTO General Counsel on April 19, 2010.   His assumption of this new position, marks Mr. Knight’s return to the USPTO where he served as the agency’s first Deputy General Counsel for General Law from 2001 to 2006

As General Counsel, Mr. Knight is the principal legal advisor to the Under Secretary and Director.  He supervises the provision of legal advice and court representation on all intellectual property and administrative matters for the USPTO.  Mr. Knight also coordinates with the Department of Justice, Department of Commerce and other agencies in developing the U.S. position on major intellectual property cases before the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals.

 After leaving the USPTO in 2006, Mr. Knight was the Assistant General Counsel (General Law, Ethics and Regulation) at the Department of Treasury.   His office was responsible for all general law, ethics and regulatory issues at the Treasury Department.   He also supervised the Chief Counsels of the U.S. Mint, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the Alcohol, Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

Mr. Knight was selected to serve as Acting General Counsel of the Treasury Department's 2,000 lawyer Legal Division for approximately eight months during the critical period from the beginning of the Obama Administration until the confirmation of a new General Counsel.   As Acting General Counsel, Bernie advised the Treasury Secretary and senior agency officials and led the Treasury Legal Division through the Administration's financial crisis response.   He is the recipient of two Treasury Distinguished Service Awards.   The first was awarded by Secretary Henry M. Paulson in 2009 for extraordinary service in establishing the TARP and for his key managerial role in revitalizing the Treasury Legal Division and the second was awarded by Secretary Timothy F. Geithner in 2010 for his work as Acting General Counsel leading the Treasury Legal Division during the Administration’s financial crisis response.

Prior to his work at the USPTO, Mr. Knight was a Senior Trial Attorney with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) Tax Division.   While at the DOJ, Mr. Knight received Outstanding Attorney Awards for his achievements.  Before joining the DOJ, Mr. Knight worked at the law firms of Vinson & Elkins in Houston, Texas and Hopkins & Sutter in Chicago, Illinois.  As an Adjunct Professor of Law at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Knight taught several classes in the Master of Laws in Taxation program. 

Mr. Knight received his J.D. degree from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, a Masters Degree in Developmental Psychology from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and a B.S.B.A. from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.