Award-winning IP strategist and attorney Geoff White rejoins McNees
March 2, 2026
Press Releases
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Mar. 2, 2026) – McNees Wallace & Nurick today announced that Geoffrey White has rejoined the firm’s Intellectual Property Group, after more than 10 years in senior legal and operational leadership roles with Pennsylvania-based technology and advanced manufacturing companies.
He will serve clients across western Pennsylvania, the State College area, statewide, and nationally from McNees’ Pittsburgh office.
White had previously served more than seven years with McNees’ Intellectual Property Group, from 2007 to 2015. His return to McNees strengthens the firm’s capabilities in supporting clients’ innovation and growth strategies, as he brings a distinctive combination of private practice, in-house leadership, and operational experience.
White represents innovators, manufacturers, and technology-driven companies in high-value intellectual property matters, particularly across advanced manufacturing sectors, with a focus on patent strategy, portfolio development, and IP risk management. He works closely with business and technical teams to align intellectual property protection with clients’ strategic goals. He frequently serves as strategic outside intellectual property counsel, helping companies coordinate IP strategy with broader business objectives.
White has held senior operating and legal roles, including, most recently, serving as chief operating officer at Advanced Construction Robotics in Allegheny County, where he grew the value of their intellectual property while managing operational needs. He also recently served as chief innovation officer and general counsel at Grouse Ridge Capital, where he identified and evaluated opportunities to invest in early-stage companies.
He continues to serve part-time as general counsel and longtime board member at Centre County-based SilcoTek Corporation, a chemical vapor deposition services provider for the semiconductor, analytical instrumentation, life science, and energy industries that has solved technical problems for customers throughout the world (and beyond this world).
“Rejoining McNees after 11 years allows me to bring my in-house and operational experience back to a firm that strongly supports innovation,” said White. “I am excited for this homecoming and for the opportunity to leverage the firm’s platform to advance some of my entrepreneurial ideas and help clients develop intellectual property strategies that reflect real-world business demands.”
Passionate about intellectual property education and entrepreneurship, White collaborates on research with the University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing, the Center for Technology Management, and the Innovation and IP Management group, focusing on aligning IP decision-making with both strategic and economic value creation.
White actively participates in the Penn State University Startup Leadership Network (SLN), which accelerates technology startups through talent matchmaking and guidance on development and market entry. Through the program, he has served on the advisory boards of several Penn State startups, including companies developing 3D-printed, robotics-enabled concrete solutions and technologies focused on agricultural disease detection.
“Geoff understands innovation from the inside, and we’re thrilled he has rejoined McNees,” said Shawn Leppo, co-chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group. “He has helped build and scale technology-driven companies and brings a strong network and practical insight that will deliver meaningful value to innovators seeking forward-looking intellectual property strategies. We are excited about the energy and perspective he will bring to our Intellectual Property Group and to our clients.”
He has been named to IAM Strategy 300, “The World’s Leading IP Strategists,” multiple times and frequently speaks on intellectual property strategy at international and domestic conferences and universities.
White earned his MBA from the University of Cambridge, his Master of Laws in intellectual property from The George Washington University Law School, his J.D. from Widener University School of Law, and his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh.
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McNees is a multidisciplinary law firm founded in 1935 with more than 150 attorneys representing businesses, associations, institutions, municipalities, and individuals. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Harrisburg, Lancaster, Pittsburgh, Radnor, State College, and York, Pa.; Columbus, Ohio; Frederick and Towson, Md.; and Washington, D.C.
