Zareefa Burki Flener

Zareefa is the Founder and Managing Partner at FLENER IP & BUSINESS LAW, a proud member of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF). Zareefa has more than two decades of experience managing international and domestic patent and trademark portfolios in a wide range of areas.

She is well regarded by her clients and her peers, worldwide, is included in the iam Patent 1000, and is recognized by Managing Intellectual Property as an IP Star and as one of the Top 250 Women in IP.

She received her Master of Science degree from Loyola University of Chicago, With Distinction, an accolade which had never before been awarded to a graduate student. She has a Bachelor of Science in biology and a double major in Psychology. Her scientific research and experience spans ten years and is in two particularly explosive areas: HIV transmission and pathology, and mapping of the human genome, and she graduated from her Masters with High Distinction. She is well published in the field of HIV pathology in such journals as the American Journal of Pathology, Clinical Immunology, and the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Zareefa has had the honor of being involved in the quickly growing and changing cannabis industry since what seems like inception, but at least for the last ten years, assisting companies in achieving prominence and value in an increasingly crowded field. While her science background is useful in understanding inventions related to the plant, her business acumen and holistic approach to a client’s business goals has led to successfully achieving client’s goals. For instance, a client was awarded TIME.com’s invention of the year award, and another has been recognized by FAST Company as one of the most innovative companies in the industry. 

As a Super Lawyer year after year, Zareefa has lead Flener IP & Business Law into becoming a well known force against online counterfeiting and infringement by successfully pursuing Schedule A Litigations in the Northern District of Illinois.