J. Stephen Wills

Associate

Steve Wills is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, working primarily in software, engine, after-treatment, electronic controls, and oilfield technologies. Prior to joining Krieg DeVault, Mr. Wills worked for several years in the oilfield for Schlumberger Oilfield Services. His experience there includes hydraulic fracture treatment, matrix acid treatment, reservoir analysis, and well logging plans and evaluation. Mr. Wills joined Cummins Inc. for five years and worked as an electronic controls engineer, working on electronic components, algorithm design, dynamic controls, failure mode analysis, and catalytic component controls. He has over a dozen patents as inventor and co-inventor. Away from the office, Mr. Wills enjoys philosophy, basketball, weightlifting, and strategy games. He lives in Columbus, Indiana with his wife, Barb, and their seven children.

Representative Experience

Drafted over 200 patent applications for various multi-billion dollar companies
All aspects of patent prosecution including multiple Appeals
Significant software application experience
Other experience includes sensors, controls, optics, and machinery in various industries
International patent prosecution experience through foreign associates, including Japan, China, and Europe

Education

Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington, Indiana (J.D., magna cum laude, 2005)
- Order of the Coif; Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies: Submissions Editor; Moot Court: High scorer oral arguments; Highest class grades: Trial Advocacy, Legal Negotiations
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa (B.S. in Chemical Engineering, 1997)

Bar Admissions

Indiana, 2006
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, 2006
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, 2006
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, 2004

Professional Associations

American Bar Association (ABA)
Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Indianapolis Bar Association
Bartholomew County Bar Association