Baker Donelson Adds Three Patent Attorneys to Intellectual Property Practice in Washington, D.C. Office

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC has expanded the Life Sciences Division of its Intellectual Property Practice Group with the addition of three patent attorneys in its Washington, D.C. office: David W. Woodward, Thor B. Nielsen, Ph.D., and Ryan R. Brady.

"David, Thor and Ryan bring a wealth of patent law experience, particularly in the chemistry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors," said John G. Calender, managing shareholder of the Washington, D.C. office and a member of the Firm's board of directors. "Their backgrounds and knowledge are strong complements to the broad spectrum of capabilities already offered by our Life Sciences team." Baker Donelson's Life Sciences practice includes a team of attorneys throughout the Firm's footprint.

Mr. Woodward, who joins as shareholder, has over two decades of experience as a patent practitioner. He has extensive experience representing pharmaceutical, chemical, and biotechnology companies in all areas of patent practice, from procurement to litigation. Mr. Woodward has counseled clients on patent drafting and prosecution, validity, infringement, clearance, due diligence and patent portfolio management and strategy. He has successfully represented clients before the Patent and Trademark Office in complex prosecution, reexamination, reissue and appeal matters. He is an experienced patent litigator, including in complex Hatch-Waxman litigation.

Mr. Woodward also has particular experience in performing intellectual property audits in several contexts, including litigation preparation, product investments or approvals, licensing, acquisitions and other significant deals. He has degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering and extensive experience in pharmaceuticals, small molecules, polymers, formulations, organic and inorganic chemistry, chemical processing, chemical engineering and biotechnology, including antibodies.

Prior to joining Baker Donelson, Mr. Woodward was a partner at Sidley Austin LLP. He also served as a Patent Examiner for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in the chemical and polymer arts from 1986 to 1991. He graduated first in his law school class at George Washington in 1992.

Dr. Nielsen, who joins as patent attorney, has experience in drafting and prosecution of patent applications in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, agroscience, metallurgy and drug delivery arts. Previously a patent attorney with Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz LLP, Dr. Nielsen holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Duke University. Prior to earning his law degree from George Washington University School of Law, he served as a program director at the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, was an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore and was president of SN Biotech, Inc., where he managed the development and licensing of patents in skin biology.

Mr. Brady, who joins as associate, is a registered patent attorney with experience as a life science researcher. He focuses primarily on biotechnology and chemical matters. His experience encompasses patent prosecution and litigation, including appeals, opinion work, application drafting, sequence listings, biotech-related §112 issues, deposition preparation and confidentiality agreements. He also has experience in electrical, mechanical and computer system matters.

Prior to joining Baker Donelson, Mr. Brady was an associate at Oliff & Berridge, a large intellectual property boutique law firm in northern Virginia. A graduate of William and Mary School of Law, he received his undergraduate degree in microbiology from Brigham Young University, where he was awarded a research grant to fund virology/immunology research on follicular dendritic cells and their interactions with HIV.

As the 73rd largest law firm in the U.S., Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC gives clients access to a team of more than 560 attorneys and public policy advisors representing more than 30 practice areas to serve a wide range of legal needs. Clients receive knowledgeable guidance from experienced, multi-disciplined industry and client service teams, all seamlessly connected across 15 offices in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Washington, D.C.