Stephen Shaw is A Patent Attorney, Reinvented

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If you look at the resume of Stephen Shaw, you see some of the most influential tech names in existence—Google, Adobe, Fitbit, and his present role as patent counsel at Netflix—as well as big names in big law that served clients like Amazon, Apple, Cisco, and Oracle. If you’re an IP counsel or hoping to do interesting work on behalf of companies working on the frontlines of tech, Stephen Shaw’s resume looks like the dream.

Shaw isn’t shy that he’s the only successful patent lawyer he knows who’s been laid off twice. He sees a completely different side of a “perfect” career, one that looks like he’s intentionally jumped around much more than he has. Shaw leads with this because he’s honest, nearly to a fault, deeply curious, and seems motivated by something more than a stacked LinkedIn profile.

Shaw is the kind of person who, after getting blindsided by his first layoff experience at Adobe in 2009, decided to take three months to backpack through Europe. Despite being almost 40 years old and never having been outside the US, he sold most of his life’s possessions, left his cat with a good friend in New York, and spent ninety days realigning his outlook on life. Upon his return, Shaw was able to reinvent himself. It wouldn’t be the last time.

Unpredictable But Unforgettable

Shaw’s always been interested in technology, programming BASIC on a TI-994A as a child, and an early adopter of Apple products. But the head of his university’s computer science department incredibly told him there was no future in programming. Some selling point. So he got an accounting degree instead.

“Everyone in the accounting program laughed at me because they knew I had no intention of ever being an accountant,” Shaw remembers.

Four years after law school, Shaw would go back and secure his computer science degree in a legendary manner. He wrote a three-page memo to the dean of his state university outlining all the courses that were required for the major and which ones he believed he’d accomplished either in his previous degree or in law school.

“I said, I knew this is weird and unconventional, but if I could double load in the fall and spring and then triple load in the summer, I could get my computer science degree in three semesters,” Shaw explains. “I’m still shocked they agreed to my plan. I ended up working as an Associate at Nexsen Pruet (now Maynard Nexsen) doing IP litigation and patent applications while going to school more than full-time, and still made the Dean’s List.”

Going In-House

Shaw had extensive experience as outside counsel for numerous tech leaders but found himself wanting to be part of bigger solutions and bigger pictures. The attorney is proud of his ability to drive internal innovation by partnering with his internal clients. Within six months of his arrival at Chamberlain Group, he tripled the number of invention disclosures and increased the number of filed patents by almost 400 percent year over year.

“I attribute that to being able to communicate the value of IP and my desire to forge relationships with diverse engineers and get them bought into the system,” Shaw explains. “I always tell engineers that I am not going to waste their time. My job is to maximize their limited time in order to protect their hard work. Most importantly, I always follow through for them.”

Shaw’s loyalty to his engineers is natural, but it’s been even more resolved by experiencing the rug pull of layoffs a couple of times over. There was the early layoff at Adobe, and then Shaw was one of 12,000 employees let go by Google on the same day in 2023.

There have been dark times. But that makes being asked to come to Netflix all the sweeter.

“I originally came to Google as part of the legal team during the Fitbit merger, so they didn’t necessarily hire me, even though I felt completely welcomed there,” Shaw explains. “But Netflix actively chose me, and that feels pretty good.”

The Shaw Difference

Stephen Shaw brings honesty, clarity, and a rare ability to empower engineers and innovators. His career path, including periods of transition, has shaped him into the thoughtful, resilient patent counsel he is today. Far from setbacks, those earlier layoffs became opportunities to explore new directions, deepen his expertise, and ultimately find a second act at a world-class tech company that touches homes across the US and beyond.

Shaw is now at an exciting juncture in both his professional and personal life. While his work continues to challenge and engage him, he and his wife are also looking forward to the years ahead with intention and perspective. After chasing dream roles for much of his career, Shaw has found a renewed sense of purpose and balance.

“Those experiences taught me not to measure my self-worth solely by work,” Shaw says. “I’m far more at peace with my career today and excited about what I want to accomplish in the years to come.”

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