Thomas Krause, a former attorney for Covington & Burling, has been tapped to serve as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s deputy general counsel for intellectual property law and solicitor.

Krause steps into his new role on Jan. 14, the USPTO announced Thursday. He has been with the agency’s solicitor’s office since 2002, when he joined as associate solicitor, special counsel for intellectual property litigation, deputy solicitor and acting solicitor.