In his role as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Andrei provides leadership and oversight to one of the largest intellectual property offices in the world. He also serves as the principal advisor to the President, through the Secretary of Commerce, on domestic and international intellectual property policy matters. Prior to joining the USPTO, Andrei was the Managing Partner at Irell & Manella LLP, focusing on intellectual property litigation. He appeared in a variety of high-profile matters in front of the USPTO, U.S. district courts, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. International Trade Commission. He has represented clients across the technical and scientific spectra. Andrei taught patent law at the UCLA School of Law and has written and spoken publicly on a variety of intellectual property issues. Prior to his legal career, he was an engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company. Among his legal community accolades, the Daily Journal, California Lawyer magazine, Los Angeles Business Journal, Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, and many others have acknowledged his expertise in commercial litigation and intellectual property law. He has been the recipient of the Patent and Trademark Office Society 36th Annual Rossman Award, the Hughes Aircraft Malcolm R. Currie Innovation Award, and the Melville B. Nimmer Copyright Award. Andrei holds a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law. He has a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, both from UCLA.