Legal All-Star – Kadie Jelenchick – Foley & Lardner

Kadie Jelenchick did not follow the traditional undergraduate path for law school. While interested in the law, she majored in biomedical engineering. It wasn’t until working on a project her senior year that she found a way to combine the two.

She and her team were exploring patent protection for a device they worked on and “it was here where I really appreciated the exciting opportunities — particularly in IP law — that were available to me given my engineering degree.”

Jelenchick, co-chair of Foley & Lardner’s national intellectual property litigation group, counsels and represents consumer and industrial manufacturing clients in disputes and in all areas of IP portfolio protection, management and strategy.

“Whether I’m advising them on the offensive or defensive side of intellectual property issues, I value our partnership from product development through enforcement and defense of their key IP assets,” she said.

In addition to her IP practice, Jelenchick co-chairs the firm’s pro bono committee. She played a key role in having the law firm achieve 90% participation across 24 of Foley’s offices. Jelenchick also regularly donates her time to Legal Action of Wisconsin’s Volunteer Lawyers and Eviction Defense Projects.

“As for my pro bono clients, particularly those that face housing hardships, they constantly remind me how meaningful quality legal representation is and how important it is to support the communities where we live and work,” she said.

Jelenchick is active in the community, serving multiple organizations, including the Women’s Leadership Council for United Way of Greater Milwaukee and the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Cancer Center Philanthropic Board.

“Throughout her leadership roles at Foley, as well as her involvement with professional and philanthropic organizations, Kadie invests her time and energy in uplifting those around her,” said Devin Sutherland, Foley’s business development and marketing senior.