Will Ely focuses on patent litigation and software-related IP advising. He leverages his computer science degree and experience as a judicial clerk for the Minnesota Court of Appeals to find successful results.
Will has assisted clients in obtaining favorable results in all stages of litigation. In his first year of practice, Will drafted a motion to dismiss that allowed his client to exit a case with minimal expenditure. Will also has extensive trial experience, including a plaintiff-side jury verdict finding willful infringement and awarding 100% of the damages sought at trial. He has helped draft successful summary judgment motions, motion in limine, and appellate briefs. Will’s practice has involved software patents and licenses, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications technologies.
Prior to law school, Will was a paralegal in O’Melveny & Myers’s New York office, where he confirmed his desire to pursue a law degree. During his time as a paralegal, Will often worked with the patent team and gained valuable litigation experience.
He is an author for the firm’s award-winning “Inventor Spotlight,” which highlights inventors who have impacted our society with their innovations. Will also writes regularly on the firm’s ANDA blog about technology and cases relevant to ANDA litigation.
When not working, Will enjoys playing badminton, playing video games, and reading science fiction. He also enjoys Formula 1 racing and is a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan.
EDUCATION
University of Minnesota Law School, JD cum laude
Managing Editor, Minnesota Law Review
Student Instructor, Environment and Energy Law Clinic
Student Instructor, Law in Practice
Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, BA cum laude
BAR ADMISSIONS
Minnesota Supreme Court
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN, Adjunct Professor
Will currently coaches the University of Minnesota Law School’s First Amendment Moot Court Competition Team, and has previously coached teams that participated in Cardozo Law’s FAME Center Intellectual Property Law Moot Court Competition.
Minnesota Court of Appeals, St. Paul, MN, Judicial Law Clerk
Will served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Elise L. Larson at the Minnesota Court of Appeals, gaining valuable insight into the judicial process and persuasive advocacy.
EVENTS & PUBLICATIONS
ACC Oktoberfest 2025 CLE Presenter: “Leveraging Non-Lawyer Professionals on Your Legal Teams.”
“September—Celebrating the Achievements of Hispanic American Inventors and Scientists, Dr. Ellen Ochoa,” Co-Author, Carlson Caspers’ Inventor Spotlight Blog, September 1, 2022.
“‘Clever Labeling’ of Prior Art Not Disclosed in Invalidity Contentions Insufficient to Satisfy District of New Jersey Local Patent Rules,” Author, Carlson Caspers’ ANDA Litigation Blog, July 26, 2021.
“Delaware Judge Finds Novel Induced Infringement Theory Directed at Health Insurance Provider Sufficiently Plead,” Author, Carlson Caspers’ ANDA Litigation Blog, August 16, 2021.
RECOGNITION
2022 Diversity and Inclusion Honoree, Carlson Caspers “Inventor Spotlight” Author, Minnesota Lawyer, October 6, 2022.