Virtual Water Cooler Chat
Welcome to VPG’s Virtual Water Cooler Chat Podcast, a platform that features professionals across a variety of industries and promotes growth mindset principles, with a central pillar of championing the achievements of women. Our conversations explore a wide spectrum of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, creating a vibrant mosaic that enriches our collective understanding and strengthens our commitment to growth and empowerment. For inquiries, please reach out to hello@vpgateway.com
Episodes

Monday Jul 17, 2023
Monday Jul 17, 2023
This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Sara Cooksey, Supervising Paralegal at the ACLU of Northern California.
In her role with the ACLU, Sara provides oversight, training, and mentorship to the legal professional team and operational support for the Legal-Policy Department. Additionally, she supports active litigation in the Criminal Justice space.
Prior to joining the ACLU of Northern California, Sara worked in civil and criminal litigation, transactional business law, and probate law. Most recently, she served as a supervisory paralegal and eDiscovery technician at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where she supported complex civil and criminal litigation. During that time, Sara was part of a small team that investigated two large U.S. banks for their role in the 2008 financial collapse. These investigations resulted in multi-billion-dollar civil settlements, which included over $5 billion in relief to homeowners.
Sara also served multiple times as a subject matter expert, advising on developing evidence and technology standardization across several federal agencies, redefining federal legal job classifications, and implementing discovery standards across all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. Her work in criminal prosecution increased Sara’s passion for criminal justice reform, as she saw the many inequalities and systemic injustices from the inside.
Sara graduated as Valedictorian of the Fresno City College Paralegal Program, where she later received the Alumni Recognition Award for her contributions to the paralegal profession and continued outreach to paralegal students. Additionally, Sara has twice been nominated for the California Paralegal of the Year Award.
Sara has previously served as President of the Fresno Paralegal Association and on the board of the California Alliance of Paralegal Associations. Sara enjoys mentoring and teaching other legal professionals, creating “moderately okay” art, spending time near the ocean, and rocking out at concerts. Sara lives in Fresno with her spouse, Jason, and their rescued pit bulls, Ariel and Owen.
Connect with Sara on LinkedIn.
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.
Learn more about VPG here.

Monday Jul 10, 2023
Monday Jul 10, 2023
This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Samhitha Medatia, Senior Intellectual Property Counsel for Fidelity Information Services in Atlanta, Georgia and is hosted by Sheena Yap Chan, Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Author of The Tao of Self-Confidence and Asian Women Who Boss Up, and podcast host of The Tao of Self-Confidence.
Samhitha's career began at Dow Corning Ltd, where she used her chemical engineering degree and training to research and develop innovative manufacturing methods for high-purity silica. After graduating from The George Washington University Law School, she started her legal career at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP, focusing on patent litigation and client counseling. Samhitha served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jimmie V. Reyna at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Now at FIS, Samhitha is a key member of an impactful global team managing the company's valuable intellectual property. In her role, she has the opportunity to leverage her technical and legal skills to craft business-savvy solutions for her clients. Samhitha serves on the executive committee of the Atlanta IP Inn of Court and is an active member of the South Asian Bar Association of Georgia (SABA-GA).
Samhitha’s family also owns Coffee Bar Atlanta.
Connect with Samhitha on LinkedIn.
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.
Learn more about VPG here.

Monday Jun 26, 2023
Monday Jun 26, 2023
Today’s episode features patent attorney Kara Specht on the topic of 'Mentoring the Next Generation of Leaders.'
Kara focuses on patent litigation before district courts and before the International Trade Commission (ITC). Her practice covers a wide range of electronic and electrical technology areas related to computers, consumer electronics, and computer-implemented business methods. She has been recognized as a Trailblazer by the World Intellectual Property Review. Kara also has experience before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) in inter partes review (IPR) and covered business method (CBM) review proceedings, including prior art searching and analysis, petition preparation, motions to exclude evidence, and expert depositions. She has first-hand insight into corporate litigation procedures, having seconded at a leading multi-national technology company.
Beyond trial-level litigations, Kara also has experience before the Federal Circuit, preparing appeal briefs and amicus briefs. In addition to litigation, Kara also practices patent prosecution before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) as well as several international patent offices. Kara serves as an editor for Finnegan’s Federal Circuit IP blog. She served on Michigan States Journal of Business and Securities Law.
Connect with Kara on LinkedIn or visit Finnegan.com.
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.
Learn more about VPG here.

Monday Jun 12, 2023
Monday Jun 12, 2023
This episode features Alyssa Holtslander, Trademark Managing Counsel and Senior Patent Counsel at Unified Patents, LLC, on her path to becoming a patent attorney. Alyssa handles PTAB filings and ex parte reexamination within Unified, and she is also primarily responsible for Unified Brands, a service within Unified Patents that help deter counterfeiting. Prior to joining Unified Patents, Alyssa was an attorney at Finnegan, LLP. She attended the George Washington University Law School, where she earned her J.D. Alyssa holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University.
Connect with Alyssa on LinkedIn.
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.
Learn more about VPG here.

Wednesday May 31, 2023
Build Your Own House with Jennifer H. Wu | Virtual Water Cooler Chat Episode 15
Wednesday May 31, 2023
Wednesday May 31, 2023
This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Jennifer H. Wu, founding partner at Groombridge, Wu, Baughman & Stone LLP, which she founded after seven years as a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. She is a patent trial and appellate lawyer recognized for her “great advocacy skills at trials” and “outstanding work in cutting-edge biologics cases.” Jennifer has been widely recognized within the legal industry and the patent litigation bar for her achievements.
In 2022, she was recognized by Chambers USA as an “Up and Coming” lawyer in the Intellectual Property: Patent (NY) category. In 2019, Jennifer was named to Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under Hot List – Northeast.” In 2018, she was selected by the New York Law Journal as a “Rising Star,” an award that recognizes top attorneys under the age of 40. In 2017, Jennifer was a recipient of the “Best Under 40” award from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). She is a member of the Executive Committee and the Board of the Federal Circuit Bar Association (FCBA), and a former co-chair of the FCBA Patent Litigation Committee, the Mock Argument Committee, and the Rules Committee. She received the FCBA’s George Hutchinson Committee Award recognizing committee leadership in 2016 and 2018.
Jennifer also has an active pro bono practice and represents a number of Asian-American victims of racially motivated violence and their families. She received the New York Law Journal’s Diversity Initiative Award in 2022 in recognition of her pro bono work. In addition, Jennifer is a frequent speaker on diversity, equity, and inclusion. She delivered the keynote speech, “Raising Our Voices for Equity: Good Leadership and Leading for Good,” at the Women in Law Section's 18th Annual Edith I. Spivack Symposium during the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting 2022. She is also a co-chair of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY)’s Women’s Committee, an Advisory Committee Member of the NYU Law Alumni of Color Association (LACA), and an Executive Board and Board member of USA for UNFPA, which supports the life-saving work of the United Nations reproductive health and rights agency, the United Nations Population Fund.
Jennifer earned her A.B. in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University and her J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she received the Vanderbilt Medal for Service to the Law School Community and the President’s Service Award for Leadership. Following law school, Jennifer clerked for the Honorable Alan D. Lourie of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn.
This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Barrister Digital Solutions. Barrister Digital Solutions is a full-service litigation support company that has been supporting the legal community for over 20 years. With decades of experience serving a variety of clients, from corporate firms to nonprofits, BDS is the right extension for your legal team.
Learn more about BDS here.
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.
Learn more about VPG here.

Monday May 29, 2023
Monday May 29, 2023
This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Lisa Nguyen, Partner at Allen & Overy, LLP.
Lisa represents cutting-edge technology companies in intellectual property matters, particularly in litigation against non-practicing entities. Lisa is adept at resolving disputes efficiently and identifying pragmatic solutions for her clients. Her practical and deliberate approach to preparing cases for trial regularly disposes of claims early in the process.
Lisa has a proven track record of obtaining successful trial verdicts, summary judgment rulings, and dismissals at the pleading stage. She has also obtained multiple walkaways for defendants (obtaining dismissals with no payment to plaintiffs), as well as attorneys’ fees. Lisa represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex multi-jurisdictional, multi-patent cases, and has substantial experience handling cases pending before district courts across the country, the International Trade Commission (ITC), and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
Lisa regularly speaks and writes on patent counseling and IP issues. Her speaking engagements include presentations at the Advanced Patent Law Institute, Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, the National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys, and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Lisa has been listed among Silicon Valley Business Journal’s Women of Influence, the Top 50 Women in the PTAB, an Asian Leader Worth Watching, and a Rising Star in IP Litigation. Lisa previously served as the Chair of the Diversity Committee of the PTAB Bar Association and now serves as a Board Member at the PTAB Bar Association.
Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn.
Email Lisa.
This episode is sponsored by Lango Legal. Discover Lango, your all-in-one language toolkit for the legal world and beyond. Lango Legal specializes in legal interpretation, translation, and transcription services in over 200 languages. Think of Lango Legal as the Swiss Army knife of legal language solutions, streamlining your communication and helping you conquer linguistic barriers with ease. Elevate your practice with Lango.
Visit Lango.co to learn more.
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.
Learn more about VPG here.

Monday May 22, 2023
Monday May 22, 2023
This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Kakoli Caprihan, an Associate Solicitor in the Office of the Solicitor at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), on her path to becoming a patent attorney.
In her role, Kakoli defends decisions of the USPTO in cases before the district courts and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Kakoli also represents the USPTO in interagency deliberations on important intellectual property cases, including cases before the Supreme Court. Before joining the Solicitor’s Office, Kakoli worked in private practice at Greenberg Traurig, LLP, and Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP. Kakoli received her B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of New Mexico and her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.
Connect with Kakoli on LinkedIn.
Disclaimer: This interview reflects the personal opinions of Kakoli Caprihan and does not reflect the opinions of the USPTO.
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.
Learn more about VPG here.

Monday May 15, 2023
Monday May 15, 2023
This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Ivy Clarice Estoesta on her path to becoming a director in Sterne Kessler’s Mechanical & Design Practice Group and Trademark & Brand Protection Practice.
Ivy counsels a wide range of clients, from startups to Fortune 500 companies in various industries, including consumer electronics, apparel, household cleaning products, and software applications. Her multidimensional practice includes drafting and prosecuting design patent applications and enforcing design rights; clearing, prosecuting, and enforcing trademark rights; and advising on copyright protection, for some of the most recognizable brands in North America. Ivy has niche expertise in U.S. and foreign design rights related to graphical user interface (GUI), augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) designs, and is the firm’s go-to resource for copyright matters, particularly for visual works, including digital art/NFTs.
For four consecutive years since 2019, Ivy was recognized as a “Rising Star” by Managing IP. She served on the International Trademark Association (INTA) Designs Committee for the 2022-2023 term and as the Complementary Forms of Design Protection Subcommittee Chair of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Industrial Designs Committee.
Ivy serves on Sterne Kessler’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and annually participates in the Intellectual Property Legal Clinic for Small Businesses co-hosted by Sterne Kessler and the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center since 2017. Ivy earned her J.D. from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.
Connect with Ivy on LinkedIn.
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.
Learn more about VPG here.

Monday May 08, 2023
Monday May 08, 2023
This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Xiaowen (Nancy) Song Partner as Linda Liu & partners, on "East and West Experience is the Best.”
Nancy is a Partner at Linda Liu & Partners Beijing office. Her practice focuses on strategic patent procurement, and she has extensive experience in patent prosecution before the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and other major jurisdictions.
Nancy has been a Chinese Patent attorney since 2010 and passed the U.S. Patent Bar in July 2018. She always tries to go the extra mile for her clients.
Connect with Nancy on LinkedIn.
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.
Learn more about VPG here.

Monday May 01, 2023
Monday May 01, 2023
This episode of Virtual Water Cooler Chat features Micah Chi, Director, International Marketing for Charles Schwab, a financial services company.
Prior to Schwab, Micah held marketing roles in education technology, telecommunications and defense systems where she led cross-channel growth marketing initiatives across paid media, social media, email, print, events, out-of-home, and direct mail. She graduated from George Mason University with a B.A. in Advertising and a minor in Business and holds an MBA from Georgetown University. Micah thrives in connecting people and ideas to deliver great outcomes.
Outside of work, Micah spends time with her husband Benny and two daughters, Bella (9) and Natasha (4) in Reston, VA. When they're not at home shuffling between tennis practice, you might find them on a beach somewhere around the world!
Connect with Micah on LinkedIn.
Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) reduces overhead costs by providing PTAB attorneys with on-demand and affordable paralegal support services. Virtual Patent Gateway Founder Ashley Cheung has a passion for supporting the next generation in the workplace and is committed to developing a growth mindset within VPG.
Learn more about VPG here.