Zhané McHutcherson

Sonny Zhan is an accomplished patent attorney with extensive experience in intellectual property law, currently serving as the External Submissions Lead at IBM since 2019. At IBM, responsibilities include preparing and prosecuting patent applications in various technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and software security, while also contributing to patent procurement best practices. Previously, as Corporate Counsel at Welch Allyn from 2009 to 2018, Sonny Zhan collaborated with research and business teams to manage patent portfolios and ensure protection for innovative work. Earlier experience includes working at Merchant & Gould P.C. as a patent attorney and law clerk, and technical roles at Boston Scientific, where a foundation in software engineering was established. Sonny Zhan holds a Doctor of Law, JD, cum laude, in Intellectual Property Law from Mitchell Hamline School of Law and a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota Duluth.