Attorney Grace Han Stanton ’98 has become a leading intellectual property law practitioner.
This story originally appeared in Lawyer, Fall 2024.
Grace Han Stanton ’98 has built a thriving practice in the intricate and complex legal field of intellectual property (IP). But what fuels her passion for IP and has made her so successful radiates from a simple notion. 
“What I most like about my practice is that I get to be a problem-solver for and a trusted adviser to some amazing people and companies,” Stanton said.
As a partner in Perkins Coie’s Seattle office, Stanton works with clients in a wide variety of industries, including technology, digital media and entertainment, outdoor recreation, and cannabis, but she is primarily focused on consumer-facing apparel and footwear companies as chair of the firm’s eponymous industry group.
From Fortune 500 heavyweights to budding start-ups, Stanton’s clients share a common need for effective legal counsel to protect and leverage their intellectual property to maximize value.
Although she has become one of the nation’s leading practitioners – having earned a bevy of plaudits over the years, including recognition as a top IP and trademark lawyer by respected publications like U.S. News & World Report, among others– Stanton followed an indirect path to reach this point. Born in California to an immigrant family from South Korea, she grew up in Eastern Washington, where her father had found work as a chemical engineer.
“I come from a very hardworking and disciplined family and seeing that from an early age is what really formed my grit and tenacity to keep at it, to work hard at your craft, whatever that might be,” she said.
That work ethic carried Stanton first to the University of Washington, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in literature but decided to pursue a different career.
“I enjoyed reading and problem solving and working with people. I thought about an area where these three realms converged,” she said.
The field of law checked these requisite boxes. While a student at Seattle University School of Law, Stanton was drawn to litigation and joined a small law firm after graduation to practice in this area. Only when a partner needed assistance with a trademark case did she discover a strong interest in IP law during what turned out to be a propitious moment.
“Despite not having taken any of the core IP courses in law school, I really enjoyed it. This was right before the 2000 dot-com bubble burst, when IP was at the forefront of companies’ minds,” she said.
This spurred her decision to join the firm then known as Foster Pepper, which counted IP among its specialties, and eventually Perkins Coie. She credits Seattle U Law’s supportive alumni network for helping to facilitate her path.
In addition to advising on domestic and international trademark and brand strategy, licensing, copyright protection, and many other issues, Stanton is confronting challenges created by the advent and rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI).
“We’re thinking about how generative AI impacts the rights of content owners and creators, as well as the originality, authorship, and ability to claim IP rights,” she said.
Now that Stanton has established herself in IP law, she is working to prepare the next generation of attorneys by serving on the Korean American Bar Association advisory board and supporting Seattle U Law’s Technology, Innovation Law, and Ethics (TILE) Program, which is helping students build careers in IP and related fields.
“I’m so appreciative of the people I have met along the way who have helped me get to where I’m at. That’s why I feel it’s important to serve as a mentor to others to help pay it forward,” she said.