Iona N. Kaiser

Iona is a partner in the Vorys Houston office and a member of the intellectual property (IP) group, for which she also serves as the partner in charge of IP Operations.  She is a registered patent attorney, with a practice focused on patent preparation and procurement, trademark prosecution and intellectual property counseling.  Iona has experience with reexamination and other post-grant procedures such as inter partes review as well as with the preparation of legal opinions on issues of infringement, validity and enforceability.  Iona also has significant experience in the medical device, emulsion chemistry, polymer, chemical and oilfield services industries.

Iona began her career as a process control engineer working with Hoechst Celanese after graduating from Virginia Tech University with a degree in chemical engineering.  Iona began her practice of law with a mixture of patent litigation and patent prosecution.  Iona’s representation of clients includes drafting and reviewing hundreds of original applications, client counseling, direction of foreign filings and management of worldwide prosecution.

During her career, Iona has written and prosecuted patents across the spectrum of the chemical arts including oilfield service applications relating to drilling, stimulation, completion and servicing fluids; alternative fuel systems; cellulose modifications; medicine devices and compositions; and personal electronic devices.  She has successfully argued appeals before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences and before reexamination examiners.  Prior to joining Vorys, Iona was a partner with McDermott Will & Emery.

Iona is a member of the Texas State Bar, the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), the Houston Intellectual Property Law Association (HIPLA), The National Associate of Women Lawyers (NAWL) and Texas Bar Association (TBA).

Iona received her J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center.  She received her B.S. in chemical engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Honors & Recognitions

The Best Lawyers in America, Patent Law, 2018-2025

The Legal 500, 2016

Professional & Community Activities

Intellectual Property Owners Association, Member, 2017