Ashwat Rishi is a business-focused patent attorney with more than ten years of experience spanning the full spectrum of patent practice—litigation, transactional work, client counseling, and patent procurement. He advises clients across the entire life cycle of patent rights: protecting technological innovation through the development of global patent portfolio strategy, advancing market position through freedom-to-operate programs and design-arounds for new product launches, structuring IP provisions in M&A and licensing transactions, and navigating enforcement actions and post-grant proceedings.
Ashwat’s multi-disciplinary practice is more than the sum of its parts—his litigation experience sharpens the patents he prosecutes, his prosecution work deepens the technical insight he brings to due diligence and transactional negotiations, and his counseling perspective ensures that every engagement is anchored to a client’s broader commercial objectives. He is particularly adept at building offensive patent portfolios that are litigation-ready from inception—drafting claims informed by enforcement strategy, competitive intelligence, and an understanding of how patents perform in inter partes review and district court proceedings. He believes investment in intellectual property should yield measurable returns—whether in defensively covering commercial products, in offensively protecting and broadening market share, or in monetization strategies through litigation or licensing.
Ashwat advises clients ranging from emerging, venture-backed startups to world-renowned academic institutions and Fortune 100 healthcare companies. Drawing on his technical background in mechanical and aerospace engineering, he works across a wide range of technical fields, including mechanical devices, manufacturing equipment and processes, industrial machinery, optical systems, AI-augmented technologies, and consumer products. He is particularly experienced in medical device and healthcare innovation, including implantables, wearables, diagnostics, biomedical sensors, and digital health platforms.
Prior to joining Baker Botts, Ashwat worked at a boutique intellectual property law firm in New York and served as a judicial intern to the Hon. Esther Salas of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Ashwat is a 2025 LCLD Fellow and currently serves as an LCLD City Lead. He also maintains a robust pro bono practice representing young immigrants and families in immigration and family court matters.
Transactional, Licensing, & Counseling
Patent Procurement & Portfolio Strategy
Litigation
*Prior to joining Baker Botts
