Jim is a highly-experienced intellectual property attorney guiding innovative technology companies through rapidly evolving and high-stakes business landscapes. He has significant experience advising companies as they scale from early-stage/high-growth private companies through IPO while counseling on intellectual property strategies, competitive intelligence, risk mitigation, and other strategic matters.

His intellectual property practice includes developing domestic and international patent and trademark portfolios, analyzing competitor patent portfolios and litigation support. He is experienced in strategic patent counseling and commercial disputes involving complex technical issues and has served as associate general counsel for intellectual property at a major cybersecurity company.

Jim has a strong track record in building portfolios of investment-grade patents that serve as valuable assets for companies. His work focuses on creating patent portfolios that can be leveraged as collateral for financing. He has developed patent strategies that enhance a company's appeal to investors, demonstrating innovation potential and positioning businesses for successful fundraising.

Jim's work in cryptography intellectual property includes developing the foundational patents on Functional Encryption and Attribute-Based Encryption and prosecuting them at the USPTO into a portfolio which was ultimately purchased.

Jim has expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning. He is currently a degree candidate at the University of Texas at Austin for a Masters of Science in Artificial Intelligence, and has completed coursework in Advances in Deep Learning, among others.

He has completed professional coursework at MIT and Stanford in computer security and cryptography. He also has technical certifications from the Cloud Security Alliance and Cisco Systems and has passed the CISSP examination. Before founding CipherLaw, Jim was with the international law firm of Morrison & Foerster.

He holds a degree in computer engineering from Georgia Tech and an LLM in National Security from Georgetown University and is licensed to practice before the USPTO.

The University of Texas at Austin (M.S. Artificial Intelligence [candidate])
Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M., National Security Law
Georgia Institute of Technology, B.S., Computer Engineering
Tufts University, B.A.

Melissa Silverman
melissa@cipher.law

Melissa Silverman, Esq., is a legal expert specializing in governmental policy and regulatory developments, with a strong emphasis on tracking and analyzing federal and state regulations in artificial intelligence. She closely monitors legislative updates and advises clients seeking to shape AI policy and compliance strategies. Her work ensures that enterprises stay ahead of evolving regulatory landscapes, mitigating risks and capitalizing on emerging opportunities in the AI sector.

Melissa also handles licensing arrangements and disputes involving intellectual property, including trademark, copyright, design patents, and contractual matters in both state and federal courts.

Her commercial litigation background spans both the public and private sectors. She spent over a decade advocating for the U.S. Government in administrative and civil cases, including those addressing government noncompliance and civil fraud in the banking and financial sectors. As Assistant General Counsel in the Office of Program Enforcement at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, she played a critical role in cases concerning mortgage lending and servicing practices, often collaborating with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Melissa has also represented corporate and individual clients in intellectual property and contract disputes in federal and state courts, as well as U.S. and international arbitration tribunals. Melissa is licensed to practice law in Georgia, Washington, D.C., and the federal courts.

Tulane Law School, J,D.

George Washington University, M.A.
Syracuse University, B.A.

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