Gehrke & Associates, S.C.

What Gehrke & Associates, S.C. does

Gehrke & Associates, S.C. is a privately held, founder-owned intellectual property law firm headquartered at 123 North 86th Street, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Founded in 2002 by Lisa M. Gehrke (JD, MA), the firm operates with a lean team of approximately five professionals, including two other attorneys (James B. Gehrke as Associate, Harold D. Gehrke as Of Counsel) and two technical advisors with biomedical and pharmacology credentials (Elizabeth G. Thompson, MS; Pat Thompson, MD, MS). The firm is structured as a Wisconsin service corporation with no parent company, no external investors, and no institutional funding.

The firm delivers a comprehensive suite of IP-related legal services organized around six core practice areas: Patents and Trade Secrets, Trademarks, Licensing and Agreements, Copyright and Entertainment Law, Bioethics and Regulatory Affairs, and Government Grants. The Patents and Trademarks practices handle application preparation, prosecution, freedom-to-operate analyses, infringement opinions, and foreign filings. The Bioethics and Regulatory Affairs practice integrates CFR research compliance, human-research-subject guidelines, FDA regulatory strategy, and patent protection for healthcare and biotech clients — a positioning the firm describes as enabling a holistic view of client R&D programs. The Government Grants practice, staffed by Elizabeth G. Thompson, supports IND submissions, FDA responses, and DOD and NIH grant submissions for clinical trials. Supporting services include patent and trademark searches, IP portfolio management, business formation and incorporation filings, and business intelligence gathering.

Gehrke & Associates generates revenue exclusively through professional services fees under a professional services revenue model. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but the firm offers flat-fee services, cost-caps, strategic budgeting, and payment plans over time for qualified clients, indicating flexibility oriented toward mid-market and in-house-counsel buyers. Go-to-market is sales-led and primarily referral-driven: the firm explicitly accepts referrals from other attorneys and law firms, markets itself as a cost-effective alternative for in-house counsel needing IP expertise without adding headcount, and supplements referrals with a website, blog ("Intellectual Property and Tech Law Reports"), and direct phone/email contact. Customer segments span enterprises, mid-market companies, in-house counsel, healthcare/biotech organizations, and entertainment/media clients, with national (and selective international) reach despite the Wisconsin base.

Name

Gehrke & Associates, S.C.

Legal name

Gehrke & Associates, S.C.

Website

https://gehrke-law.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gehrke & Associates, S.C. is a privately held Wisconsin intellectual property law firm founded in 2002, serving enterprises, in-house counsel, healthcare/biotech, and entertainment clients with patent, trademark, licensing, bioethics/regulatory, and government grant legal services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAMAA

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Intellectual Property (IP) & Patent Services

SECONDARYBPAHAMAI

IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Intellectual Property (IP) & Patent Services

Keywords

• Intellectual property law
• Patent prosecution services
• Trademark registration services
• Patent licensing agreements
• Regulatory affairs consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Wauwatosa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Professional Services: Revenue is generated through legal fees for intellectual property services including patent prosecution, trademark registration, licensing agreements, copyright matters, bioethics consulting, and government grant assistance. The firm offers flat fee services, cost-caps, and payment plans for qualified clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Gehrke & Associates, S.C. is a Wisconsin-based law firm providing intellectual property legal services to businesses and individuals. The firm's core offerings include patent prosecution and trade secret protection, trademark registration and management, drafting and reviewing licensing and IP-related agreements, copyright and entertainment law, bioethics and regulatory affairs consulting for healthcare clients, and government grant application assistance including IND, FDA, DOD, and NIH submissions.

Product overview

Gehrke & Associates, S.C. is a law firm providing intellectual property legal services. The firm offers a comprehensive suite of legal services organized around six core practice areas: Patents and Trade Secrets, Trademarks, Licensing and Agreements, Copyright and Entertainment Law, Bioethics and Regulatory Affairs, and Government Grants. These core services are supported by additional offerings including Patent and Trademark Searches, IP Portfolio Management and Maintenance, Business Formation Counseling and Incorporation Filings, and Business Intelligence Gathering Services. The firm serves as intellectual property attorneys and advisors to businesses navigating IP opportunities and pitfalls.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Patents and Trade Secrets Comprehensive patent services including application preparation and prosecution, patentability searches and opinions, freedom to operate services, US and foreign application services, post-issuance reviews, competition monitoring, and infringement opinions. Trade secret services include security and procedure reviews, documentation, and agreements. For businesses and individuals seeking patent protection and trade secret management.
• Trademarks Trademark services including international and domestic trademark searches, freedom to use services, domestic and foreign application filing, post-registration reviews, competition monitoring, and infringement opinions. For businesses and individuals seeking brand protection in US and foreign markets.
• Licensing and Agreements Drafting and reviewing licenses and sales of intellectual property and IP-related agreements such as non-disclosure agreements, work for hire agreements, and non-compete agreements. For businesses navigating IP transactions and contractual protections.
• Copyright and Entertainment Law Copyright and entertainment law practice focusing on the application of intellectual property law to the entertainment industry, including trademarks, copyright, and the right of publicity, covering both traditional and digital media. For entertainment industry clients needing IP protection for creative works.
• Bioethics and Regulatory Affairs Legal and bioethical services for healthcare and healthcare-related industries, verifying compliance with current CFR research standards and human research subject guidelines, combined with patent and FDA strategy. For healthcare and biotech companies needing integrated R&D compliance and IP protection.
• Government Grants Assistance with government grant processes including IND submissions and responses to FDA reviews, DOD grant submissions for clinical trials (including compliance with DOD requirements and responses to DOD grant reviews), and NIH grant submissions for clinical trials (including compliance with NIH requirements and responses to NIH grant reviews). For healthcare and biotech organizations pursuing government-funded research.
• IP Portfolio Management and Maintenance Ongoing management and maintenance of intellectual property portfolios for clients. For businesses needing sustained oversight of their patent, trademark, and other IP assets.
• Business Formation Counseling and Incorporation Filings Counseling and filing services for business formation and incorporation. For entrepreneurs and businesses establishing new entities.
• Business Intelligence Gathering Services Intelligence gathering services to support business decision-making and competitive analysis in connection with IP strategy. For businesses evaluating competitive landscapes and IP positioning.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Quarles & Brady LLP: Full-service law firm with strong Midwest presence including Wisconsin offices and significant IP and health law practices. Comparable as a regional incumbent offering overlapping IP prosecution, licensing, and regulatory services to similar healthcare and biotech clients.
• Foley & Lardner LLP: Large, full-service law firm headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a substantial intellectual property and life sciences practice. Comparable because it serves similar enterprise and biotech clients across patent prosecution, licensing, and FDA/regulatory matters from the same regional base.
• Fish & Richardson: National IP-focused law firm with substantial patent prosecution, litigation, and post-grant practices. Comparable as an incumbent competing for complex biotech and life sciences patent mandates.
• Knobbe Martens: National IP-focused law firm with deep life sciences and medical device patent expertise. Comparable because it competes for the same biotech, medical device, and chemical patent prosecution work that Gehrke's technical bench targets.
• Michael Best & Friedrich LLP: Wisconsin-based full-service law firm with an active intellectual property and technology practice. Comparable as a same-region incumbent competing for the same Wisconsin enterprise and mid-market IP clients.
• Finnegan: Large IP-dedicated law firm with one of the most prominent patent prosecution and litigation practices in the U.S. Comparable as a higher-end alternative for clients seeking sophisticated IP strategy across biotech and technology.

Direct peers

• Harness IP: Boutique IP law firm offering patent prosecution, trademark, and IP portfolio management services. Comparable as a similarly positioned specialty firm competing for the same SMB and mid-market IP clients via relationship-driven, fee-flexible engagements.
• Patterson Thuente IP: Boutique IP law firm focused on patent prosecution, IP litigation, and IP strategy for technology and life sciences clients. Comparable as a small-to-mid-sized IP specialty firm pursuing similar mid-market and emerging-company patent work.
• Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox: Boutique IP law firm specializing in patent prosecution, post-grant proceedings, and IP strategy for biotech, pharma, and technology clients. Comparable as a specialty IP firm targeting the same technically complex patent work Gehrke supports with its bio-technical bench.
• McAndrews, Held & Malloy (Clark Hill IP): Boutique-to-mid-sized IP law firm now part of Clark Hill, with historical roots in Chicago and a patent prosecution focus on biotech and medical devices. Comparable as a similarly sized specialty IP firm serving overlapping life sciences clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gehrke & Associates, S.C.