Women in IP Leadership

In the interview series “Women in IP Leadership”, Sterne Kessler Associate Bree Vculek spoke with The Patent Lawyer in their March/April 2026 issue about her intellectual property law career.

“Bree’s practice focuses on prosecution of U.S. and foreign patent applications, including utility and plant patent applications as well as plant variety protection certificates. Her technical areas of expertise include cellular and molecular biology, agriculture and food technology, and therapeutic antibodies.”

Vculek reflected on how growing up on a farm in North Dakota inspired her focus on agriculture and discovery of IP law. “IP is where science meets policy, investment, and global impact. It offered a path to support innovators solving complex challenged in agriculture, biotechnology, and food security.” She offered advice based on her own career path in IP law, “The best IP counsel sees the entire landscape, not just the application in front of them.”

Vculek also discussed the challenges she’s faced and her own achievements and aspirations for her IP career. On the changes she’d like to see in the IP industry, Vculek said, “A more diverse IP industry is not only more equitable, it produces better and more forward-looking solutions to global challenges.”

She continued, “Empowerment flourishes when women are not only present, but positioned to lead, influence, and shape the future of the IP profession.”