Anthony Jones is an enrolled member of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe of Washington and an intellectual property attorney. An associate at Perkins Coie, his practice focuses on patent matters, including prosecution & portfolio counseling, involving complex technologies such as telecommunications, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cryptocurrency & blockchain, and software-based technologies.
Anthony’s journey to the practice of IP law includes a variety of legal experiences. He served as an in-house attorney for the Tulalip Tribes, focusing on tribal governance, economic development, and Tribal court litigation. He was also an appellate and pro tem judge for the Northwest Intertribal Court System and a hearing examiner pro tem (trainee) for the City of Seattle Office of Hearing Examiner. In 2021, he was named one of the 20 under 40 honorees by Kitsap Leadership. He is currently the president of the Northwest Indian Bar Association.
An avid tinkerer from childhood, Anthony first set his sights on an engineering career and therefore applied and was accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from which he graduated with a B.S., Engineering. But when he realized that a career in engineering would not provide an outlet for his people skills, he changed tacks and embarked on a career in the law. Then, Anthony made another small course correction to fully embrace both his engineering background and his legal training by passing the patent bar exam after studying for it on his own.
Anthony grew up steeped in the traditions, culture, art, and living history of his Tribe. From a young age, he participated in Tribal journeys with his grandfather, building his capacity for perseverance, determination, and success. In this episode, Anthony shares how growing up on the reservation instilled in him a strong sense of self and allowed him to pursue his dreams - without limits.
- From growing up on a reservation to culture shock at MIT (3:24)
- Being in a place where you’re one of just a handful of people like yourself (5:31)
- Coping with implicit bias from a young age (6:53)
- A precursor experience to becoming a lawyer (7:55)
- Stretching one’s wings and finding new challenges (10:51)
- Handling imposter syndrome and gaining a feeling of belonging (12:45)
- Living history (14:16)
- Finding the perfect way combine one’s soft skills with one’s engineering expertise (17:20)
- Finding a community in law school (19:37)
- The value of a solid grounding in tribal culture (22:53)
- Tribal journeys that build a strong sense of self and the ability to persevere (24:38)
- Art as a means of keeping Native American traditions alive and passing them down to future generations (30:28)
- Walking in two worlds: Native American cultural traditions vs. BigLaw (34:45)
- The shocking rarity of attorneys in general – and IP attorneys in particular - from Native American backgrounds (37:05)
- Using your status as the first or only person in a situation to set an example for others (39:49)
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