At Reinhart, Dietzel-Luedtke displays patent talent for IP law

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Andrea Dietzel-Luedtke didn’t need much time working for a chemical company in Milwaukee before she realized the job wasn’t for her.

Unsure what to do next, she took a friend’s advice and applied for a position at a local intellectual-property law firm. With a business degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Dietzel-Luedtke was at least somewhat prepared for the work.

But she still had a lot to learn. Most of all, she learned that she loved what she was doing.

“I found I would be happy if I could just sit down and pore over some documents,” Dietzel-Luedtke said. “And suddenly I got to do that. The legal profession is all about that.”

Within a year, Deitzel-Luedtke was being recruited by Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren. Now a paralegal in the firm’s intellectual property department, she said the time has given her only more reasons to love her job.

“I am detailed-oriented,” she said. “But that was something I had to hone even more with this job, because it so focused on detail. It’s really motivated me to create fantastic work products and get everything right.”

Her commitment is not lost on her colleagues. In nominating her, Travis McDonnell, supervisor of Reinhart’s intellectual property department, noted the central role she played in a recent transfer to the firm of more than 700 computer files.

“She was able to manage her existing workload all while assisting with the docketing and processing of these files,” McDonnell said. “With a relatively short deadline given by the client, Andi, as she always does, put in the extra effort and time to make sure the deadline was met.”

Deitzel-Luedtke said she most often finds herself helping clients secure patents for both new inventions and twists on old devices. In this age of constant technological advancement, she said, there’s little need to worry about running short of work.

“You might think, for instance, with a hammer, that that’s been invented,” she said. “But there are so many things you can improve and change. So people are still getting patents on hammers.”