Tyler Fortner
About Tyler Fortner
Tyler Fortner is the Corporate Counsel for Intellectual Property at Nikola Motor Company, with a background in law and biomedical engineering.
Current Position at Nikola Motor Company
Tyler Fortner is currently employed as Corporate Counsel, Intellectual Property, at Nikola Motor Company. He began his tenure with the company in 2020. This role involves managing and overseeing intellectual property matters, ensuring that Nikola Motor Company's innovations and technologies are legally protected across various jurisdictions.
Previous Experience at Snell & Wilmer
Before joining Nikola Motor Company, Tyler Fortner worked at Snell & Wilmer, a law firm in the Phoenix, Arizona area. He served as an Intellectual Property Associate from 2017 to 2020. Prior to that role, he gained experience as a Summer Associate in 2016 at the same firm. His work involved handling intellectual property law matters, likely including patent prosecution, intellectual property litigation, and advising clients on IP strategy.
Legal Clerkship at PING
Tyler Fortner also worked as a Law Clerk at PING from 2015 to 2017. In this position, he likely gained valuable experience in drafting and reviewing legal documents, conducting legal research, and assisting with various legal processes related to intellectual property and corporate law.
Mechanical Engineering Co-op Positions
In 2012, Tyler Fortner held co-op positions as a Mechanical Engineering co-op at Philips Healthcare SL in Highland Heights, OH, and as a Product Engineering co-op at Parker Hannifin in Kent, OH. These roles helped him build a foundational understanding of engineering principles and practices, which complement his later work in intellectual property law.
Educational Background in Law and Biomedical Engineering
Tyler Fortner pursued his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree at Arizona State University, studying from 2014 to 2017. Prior to that, he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Akron, completing his studies from 2009 to 2014. This combination of engineering and legal education equips him with a unique skill set applicable to his work in intellectual property law.