2025 ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS TO WATCH
KATE NUEHRING SU
AGE 38
FIRM Marshall Gerstein
LAW SCHOOL Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
“
AREA(S) OF PRACTICE Intellectual property, patent prosecution
Kate sat down with us to create an IP portfolio strategy. That was a game changer.
”
W hat makes Kate Nuehring Su one of the top intellectual property and patent prosecution specialists in the Chi- cago area? Her colleagues say it's her combination of creativity, legal knowledge, practicality and common sense. "This is where Kate's superpower comes in," said Tracy O'Flaherty, president and general counsel of XXCEL Consult- ing. "She walks into a room and, yes, she's probably one of the smartest people there. But she's also one of the most friendly, outgoing and likable. It's the fact that she brings the hard and soft skills combined, that is an incredible rarity." O'Flaherty said that Nuehring Su understands that success as a lawyer includes building long-term relationships that result in success not only for her, but for her clients and firm, too. "When you build relationships the way Kate does with trust, warmth and follow-through, that's invaluable," O'Flaherty said. Count Robert Yoskowitz as one of Nuehring Su's satisfied clients. Yoskowitz is co-founder and chief executive officer or Nullafi, a provider of data security software. He's worked with
Nuehring Su and Marshall Gerstein as the company has grown from zero to 16 patents. Nuehring Su and her team eliminated any stress, handling the patent work efficiently and effectively. "Kate and her team have created a structure that lets us focus on what we're supposed to be doing -- building the actual tech- nology, writing the code and creating the products -- while they handle the strategy and execution behind protecting that work," Yoskowitz said. “Kate sat down with us to create an IP portfolio strategy. That was a game changer." K.M. Zouhary, principal of KMZ Advisors, says that Nuehring Su's creativity is what sets her apart from other legal minds. Nuehring Su isn't afraid to reimagine the role of legal counsel to support business evolution. As Zouhary says, Nuehring Su proves that innovation doesn't only come from R&D or those with "inventor" in their job titles. "Kate truly lives and breathes this work," Zouhary said. "She believes in the power of law to do good. That might sound trite, but it's real and something people feel in her presence."
40 Under Forty 2025
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CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN
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