Bio

Tracy Bornman is a partner at Hovey Williams LLP, having joined the firm upon graduating law school. She received a BS in Chemistry from Missouri University of Science & Technology and a JD from Drake University Law School. Tracy prepares and prosecutes patent applications in the chemical technologies and has worked extensively with inventions involving polymer chemistry, mineral technology, agricultural chemistry, metallurgy, and microelectronic chemistry and processing. Her clients appreciate her thoroughness and ability to quickly understand the complexities of the chemistry involved so that she can ensure the technology is protected at every stage possible. While Tracy practices regularly before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a significant portion of her practice is devoted to protecting corporate intellectual property outside the U.S., particularly in Europe, Asia, and South America. She assists clients in managing their global intellectual property portfolios, evaluating competitive landscapes to identify technology gaps presenting research and business opportunities, and managing risks in crowded technology areas. She has also drafted corporate intellectual property policies and procedures and provides intellectual property training to client personnel regarding invention harvesting, technology assessment, and patent basics. Tracy has served on numerous boards over the years, including serving as the President of the Association for Women Lawyers Foundation (“AWLF”), of which she is a co-founder. AWLF was founded to help women in law develop and advance, and to assist in improving the lives of women and girls in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Tracy has been honored with the Kansas City Business Journal's Women Who Mean BusinessTM Award, the Missouri Lawyers Weekly Business Practitioner Women's Justice Award, the Association for Women Lawyer’s President’s Award, the Best of the Bar over multiple years, and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association’s Distinguished Counselor Award.