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An “IP Ones to Watch” for 2024 is on the lookout for her next opportunity. Monica Gutierrez, who most recently served as IP counsel at Block, isn’t sure where her next job will be, but that’s kind of the lawyer’s whole appeal. When you ask her about her passions in life, her response is literally, “I want to try everything.”
Gutierrez says her openness can make life more challenging but also more exciting. That openness is what makes her a great attorney, an acknowledged in-house performer, and the kind of person who makes everyone around her a little bit better.
What makes Gutierrez so engaging is a readily apparent humility. The adage goes, “Character is most evident by how one treats those who can neither retaliate nor reciprocate.” This relationship skill has mattered the most in-house, where Gutierrez forges relationships with marketing teams, creatives, and engineers, which in turn leads to the work getting done more effectively.
Compassion as a Superpower
Early on at law firms Norvell, Polsinelli, and Perkins Coie, Gutierrez made a habit of checking in with paralegals and other team members at the end of the day to ask what had actually been completed and what still needed attention—especially on a short deadline. That approach, she says, made it easier for colleagues to ask what it might feel like dumb questions before a mistake snowballed.
She recalls a time when a Perkins colleague was scolded for wanting to take the night off for his first anniversary. The lawsuit they were on was extremely important to the partner, so Gutierrez offered to jump on the call so her colleague could have the evening off. At the end of the day, she explains, the work needs to get done and her hope is that he’ll pay it forward to some other attorney down the road.
At Polsinelli and later at Perkins Coie, she institutionalized this style of collaboration through weekly meetings with paralegals, reviewing dockets together, and treating the team’s shared responsibility to the client as the organizing principle. Paralegals, in turn, became some of her strongest advocates, recommending her to partners looking for a reliable associate.
“I think one of my strongest skills, particularly in-house, has been my ability to forge relationships,” the IP expert says. “I don’t have much of an ego about the work. When a client needs something, my goal is to find a way to get it done. That may require me to do some things that someone in this role may not readily accept doing, but I just don’t think about it in that way. In turn, I think that builds trust with people.”
That trust is important, particularly when teams may have inadvertently let something fall through the cracks. Gutierrez says she made herself approachable so that if a team realized they were running up against a launch date and the legal team was being brought in far too late in the process, she would be the voice of reason and guiding hand.
In her most recent role as IP counsel at Block, Gutierrez deepened her expertise in the technology and fintech space, advising on trademark and copyright issues, portfolio management, and brand strategy for a global digital finance company.
Over time, as she worked closely with engineers and product leaders, she developed a practical understanding of blockchain, Bitcoin, and the infrastructure underpinning digital financial services, and discovered that she enjoyed the intellectual rigor of that environment. She may find a role in that space, but her heart will always belong to the fashion space.
Behind the IP Passion
In a perfect world, she says, she would marry her trademark and branding experience with a fashion house or consumer brand with a strong design DNA. She has already supported fashion-related clients as outside counsel and would welcome the chance to return to that space in-house.
That fashion passion is what spurred her into IP. Between undergrad and law school, Gutierrez moved home and took what she thought would be a temporary job at a Coach handbag store, working full time while she figured out her next step. Within a year, she was promoted to manager, drawn to both the operational side of the business and the customer experience on the sales floor.
During a daylong management training, she sat in on a short presentation by a lawyer who walked the group through the history of the Coach brand, the distinctive design features of its handbags, and the legal strategies that protected those assets.
It was the first time she had heard the term “intellectual property law,” and it clicked. She realized that what made her so effective in retail—telling the story behind a product, differentiating it from competitors, and listening closely to what customers actually wanted—could translate into a legal career protecting brands and creative work.
“It was the first time I’d been truly excited about my future career,” the lawyer recalls of that session, which prompted her to start studying for the LSAT and ultimately enroll at Chicago-Kent College of Law because of its strong IP program.
As a first-generation professional, a working mother, and a relationship-driven trademark and copyright attorney, Gutierrez brings a blend of empathy, business pragmatism, and technical IP expertise that makes her a compelling fit for companies that value both their brands and their people.
Wherever she winds up, Gutierrez remains “one to watch,” so young in her career, yet having already accomplished so much. Her passion is clear, even if her next move isn’t quite yet.
We are proud to celebrate Monica Gutierrez and her career journey. During her time at Polsinelli, she was a valued colleague and trusted adviser who demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of domestic and international intellectual property law, and efficiently and effectively resolved multifaceted issues, always with a sophisticated understanding of business strategy and objectives. It has been rewarding to see her step into her role as in house counsel. We are equally grateful for our continued partnership with Block and the opportunity to support its evolving intellectual property needs. At Polsinelli, we remain committed to delivering strategic, business focused intellectual property counsel that helps innovative companies protect and maximize the value of their ideas in competitive markets.
