The Best Lawyers in America® has recognized hundreds of Colorado attorneys across dozens of practice areas in its 2027 edition.
Law Week Colorado is highlighting Colorado attorneys whose firms reported their recognition to LWC, including six attorneys profiled in greater depth. The entries were self-reported by participating law firms and are not intended to represent a comprehensive list of Colorado attorneys recognized in the 2027 edition.
For Justin Krieger, the path to patent law began with high school chemistry, leading him to pursue a doctorate at the University of Florida. Soon, though, he realized lab work appealed less to him than the theoretical side of science.
“But I still wanted to do something still with chemistry,” Krieger said.
Law school offered a middle ground, and he found his niche in patent law, focusing on chemistry, chemical engineering and medical devices. “I’ve loved being at the intersection of science and the law,” he said.
Krieger, a partner at Kilpatrick’s Denver office, handles patent litigation as well as post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The PTAB provides a forum for challenging patent validity outside traditional district court litigation. Krieger was among the lawyers practicing before the board when its proceedings were new. “No one really knew the rules,” Krieger said. “We were all trying to figure it out as we went.”
These days, new leadership has created uncertainty again. A recent case involved an anti-choking device. After an initial post-grant review challenge was dismissed, the opposing party filed an inter partes review.
While at first Krieger’s team expected the second challenge to be rejected, given the usual procedure, the PTAB allowed it to proceed, resulting in a precedential decision. “That was a really fun case where the new PTAB threw us on our head,” Krieger said. His team ultimately prevailed on the merits.
Krieger brings his scientific background into the classroom. He teaches patent office litigation and related post-grant proceedings at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law.
Not only does he enjoy “the energy and curiosity of students,” he said, “I really love talking about this stuff.”
In addition to his work with graduate students, he judges high school science fairs and has offered winning students pro bono patent help.
“It’s tremendously fun,” Krieger said. “I love helping them see how their inventions are not only just something that’s on a poster at a science fair, but that they can actually take it and get a patent.”
With the American Chemical Society, he also writes and travels to educate chemists about patents and intellectual property careers.
When home in Colorado, Krieger skis and hikes, plays classical guitar, is learning piano and plays chess.