Sarine R. Hagopian is a Partner at McAndrews, Held & Malloy, whose practice focuses on design protection, design portfolio management, and intellectual property (IP) strategy. She works closely with clients to develop practical IP protection strategies that support their business goals, particularly in industries where product design and brand identity play central roles in market differentiation.

Sarine builds and manages global patent portfolios and prosecutes both utility and design patents. She also advises clients on pre-launch freedom-to-operate and clearance issues. She has significant experience developing coordinated design and utility filing strategies for products facing active infringement.

She regularly advises companies in the beauty, personal care, and consumer products industries, where product aesthetics, packaging, and rapid product cycles are often drivers of commercial success. She frequently works with brands whose offerings go viral on social media and helps develop protection strategies for products that quickly attract knock-off competitors.

Sarine also advises clients on transactional IP matters, including licensing, assignment, and commercialization of patent and trademark assets. She assists companies in structuring IP ownership and preparing and negotiating IP agreements that support product launches, collaborations, and brand expansion.

In addition to trademark and patent prosecution and portfolio development, Sarine assists litigation teams in IP disputes before federal district courts and administrative tribunals. She also advises clients involved in litigation on practical resolution strategies, balancing legal considerations with business goals and consumer perception concerns when evaluating paths that can lead to timely, efficient settlement, where appropriate.

Sarine’s background in chemical engineering informs her analytical approach to IP issues. She applies a structured problem-solving approach to complex technical and legal questions and works with clients to translate complicated technologies into clear, effective IP protection.

Sarine works with both early-stage companies seeking initial IP protection and established companies expanding and refining existing patent portfolios. She is known for anticipating client needs, developing creative solutions to complex issues, and providing practical guidance that supports both legal and business objectives.

Sarine earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she served as a member of the Moot Court Honor Society and the Chicago-Kent Law Review. She received CALI awards for the highest grades in Legal Writing and Ethics and Advocacy and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering, cum laude, from Illinois Institute of Technology.