News

Partner Mary R. Henninger, PhD, shortlisted for 2024 patent strategy attorney of the year - south

LMG Life Sciences shortlisted Partner Mary R. Henninger, PhD, for 2024 Patent Strategy Attorney of the Year – South. The firm congratulates Mary on his honor, as she has been nominated as one of  4 patent strategy attorneys selected for this award.

Mary counsels clients on strategies for increasing commercial value of their intellectual property portfolios, prepares and prosecutes patent applications, manages international patent portfolios, performs diligence investigations, prepares opinions, and advises clients on IP transaction provisions in the areas of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.

LMG Life Sciences bases their awards on three factors: recent deal and case highlights; peer feedback from law firm partners using survey responses and phone and face-to-face interviews; and client feedback. LMG Life Sciences will announce the winners in September.

McNeill Ranks Among Vault's Top 25 Midsize Law Firms to Work For and in 11 Quality of Life Categories

We are honored to once again be among Vault’s Top 25 Best Midsize Law Firms to Work For. In addition to ranking #21 overall, we are ranked in 11 Quality of Life categories. You can see our full results here.

Midsize law firms from across the country participate in Vault’s annual survey. Attorneys anonymously rank their firms overall and in 17 Quality of Life categories. We are grateful to our attorneys for their candid responses. We will use these rankings and feedback from our attorneys to continue to find new and innovative ways to improve.

Celebrating our 10th Anniversary and Thank You to Founding Partner Amelia Feulner Baur, PhD

On June 2, 2024, we celebrated 10 years since Rebecca M. McNeill and Amelia Feulner Baur, PhD, founded the firm. We look back with gratitude for the hard work and dedication of our team and partnership with our clients. We look forward with excitement for more opportunities to serve, improve, and learn.

As part of our celebration, our team gathered for our Annual State of the Firm presentation on June 6th. We reflected on our accomplishments, heard updates about new plans and initiatives, and set our sights on the future. We are especially proud of all the ways we’ve expanded our team benefits in the past year, including a comprehensive paid pregnancy and parental leave policy, an expanded leave benefit (accruing 6 weeks of vacation upon a staff employee’s 10th anniversary with the firm), alternative work schedules (allowing staff to work either 4 days a week or 9 days in a two-week period), and a law school tuition assistance program for our patent agents.

After ten wonderful years together, Founding Partner Amelia Feulner Baur, PhD, decided to leave the firm, and will be taking a break from the practice of law for personal reasons. She does not have any current plans to resume practicing. Amelia's dedication and leadership over the past ten years were instrumental in the founding and growth of the firm. Amelia's ability to earn the trust of our clients and consistently deliver the highest-quality legal work, as well as her commitment to training and mentoring our team, have left a lasting imprint on the firm and helped inspire a new generation of attorneys who are ready to carry on these traditions.

Amelia's dedication to fostering a strong firm culture extended beyond her professional contributions. Her efforts to connect with employees, from writing individual letters on holidays when the firm was smaller to personally connecting with team members and supporting them at in-person retreats, have created a culture of collaboration that will be a lasting part of the firm.

Amelia will always be part of our shared history together, and we are profoundly grateful for the foundation she helped us build. We wish Amelia all the best, and we know many of you wish Amelia the best, as well.

We remain committed to delivering the highest quality service to our clients and continuing to support our team.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our journey so far! Our new name is McNeill PLLC. We have new email addresses. We will continue to receive all mail sent to our old email addresses for a period of time. Please update our contact information with our new domain name @mcneilliplaw.com.

Managing Intellectual Property Names Four McNeill Partners as Patent Stars 2024

We are proud to share that four of our partners are Managing Intellectual Property Patent Stars 2024. We also are honored to be a recommended firm for patent prosecution in Massachusetts.

Thank you to Managing Intellectual Property for the recognitions and congratulations to Founding and Managing Partner Rebecca M. McNeill; Partner Elizabeth A. Doherty, PhD; Partner Mary R. Henninger, PhD; and Partner Rebecca B. Scarr, PhD.

TWO TEAM MEMBERS PROMOTED TO directors

We are pleased to announce Sue Statz’s promotion to Director of Operations and Finance. Sue has more than 26 years of experience in IP law firm management. She joined the firm in 2015 and oversees all forecasting, budgeting, payroll, and financial reporting. Sue also manages the marketing, accounting, and IT teams.  As an advisor to the partnership, Sue works jointly with our managing partner on strategic planning, management, and operational functions for the firm. Sue’s business and financial expertise drive the firm’s growth and success.

We congratulate Catherine Van Houten on her promotion to Director of Intellectual Property Administration. Cathy joined McNeill in 2018. With more than 30 years of IP support experience and as an expert on USPTO policies and procedures, Cathy ensures that the firm follows best practice and stays up to date with the changing landscape. Cathy supervises a growing team of 20 paralegals, helping each of them bring their best to work. She also provides firm-wide leadership with recruiting and training, new matter and new client processes, docketing, and other practice management activities. 

McNeill team member promoted to counsel

McNeill congratulates Michael Liu Su on his promotion to Counsel. Michael joined the firm in 2021 and focuses on patent prosecution and due diligence investigations, representing venture-backed startups as well as large publicly traded companies. Since starting his career more than a decade ago, Michael has been involved in prosecution and diligence work as well as litigation.

Michael’s experience helps him craft strategic and creative solutions to his clients’ complex legal and technical issues. He has a strong understanding of his clients' long-term needs for a robust and enforceable patent portfolio and delivers reliable and efficient advice. Michael's technical experience spans a wide range of areas in the life sciences space, including antibodies, enzymes, diagnostic and detection methods, medical devices, and small molecule therapeutics.

Founding and Managing Partner REBECCA M. MCNEILL HOSTS BIPLA ANNUAL CELEBRATION IN HONOR OF THE JUDICIARY

Rebecca M. McNeill, Founding and Managing Partner, hosted the Boston Intellectual Property Law Association’s (BIPLA) Annual Celebration in Honor of the Judiciary on June 21, 2023, in Boston. As President of the BIPLA, Rebecca presented the Distinguished Public Service Award to The Honorable Kara Farnandez Stoll, US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Lt. Commander (ret.) Dan Cnossen, former US Navy SEAL and 7-time US Paralympic medalist in biathlon and cross-country skiing, delivered the keynote address.  Guests, including intellectual property law professionals and students, judges, and clerks, enjoyed an outdoor reception along Boston’s waterfront followed by dinner and the evening’s program in the John Joseph Moakley US Courthouse atrium.  

IAM 1000 Names McNeill a recommended firm in patent prosecution, names four McNeill partners as recommended individuals

McNeill has earned the distinction of being an IAM Patent 1000 2023 Recommended Firm. We are also proud to announce that five of our partners are IAM Patent 1000 2023 Recommended Individuals. IAM bases the rankings on in-depth research including interviews, written submissions, and client and peer feedback to identify top firms and individuals based on their market presence, depth of expertise, and sophistication of work.  

IAM 1000 writes, “While founding member and managing partner Rebecca McNeill is based in Massachusetts, McNeill has a national reach, advising biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients in 20 states across the country. The small but mighty team is also spread across the United States, with practitioners based in California, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New York and more. McNeill is best known for creating global prosecution strategies for life sciences companies that help them to achieve their business objectives.”

We are honored to be recognized for our work and are excited for our four individually recommended partners:

Adam Breier, PhD, Partner: Recommended Individual - California

Elizabeth A. Doherty, Partner: Recommended Individual – California

Rebecca M. McNeill, Founding and Managing Partner: Recommended Individual – Massachusetts

Rebecca B. Scarr, PhD, Partner: Recommended Individual – Wisconsin

Of course, we would not receive this recognition without the trust and cooperation of our clients and without every single member of our team. While we thank IAM 1000 for this recognition, our deepest gratitude goes to our clients and all of our team members who choose to work with us every day. 

FOUNDING AND MANAGING PARTNER REBECCA M. MCNEILL, BIPLA PRESIDENT, HOSTS 2-DAY EDUCATIONAL SYMPOSIUM FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROFESSIONALS 

Founding and Managing Partner Rebecca M. McNeill, President of the Boston Intellectual Property Law Association (BIPLA), hosted BIPLA’s 3rd Annual Symposium in Boston on May 3-4, 2023. The event, which was in-person for the first time, included sessions on topics from all areas of intellectual property. BIPLA hosted speakers from around Boston and throughout the world to lead discussions on biotechnology, trademark, antitrust, the International Trade Commission, diversity, IP careers, and more. See photos from the Symposium here.

FOUNDING AND MANAGING PARTNER REBECCA M. MCNEILL SPEAKS AT ROUND TABLE HOSTED BY SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT YOON SUK YEOL AND HOSTS EVENT FOR KOREAN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE COMMISSIONER INSIL LEE

On April 28, 2023, Founding and Managing Partner Rebecca M. McNeill met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his delegation, who were in Boston for a series of events centered on biotechnology and developing innovation ecosystems. In a small round table event hosted by President Yoon, Rebecca shared her thoughts on the value of patents in the development of the Boston biotech ecosystem. Read BIPLA’s press release and Rebecca’s full remarks from the meeting.

A day earlier, on April 27, 2023, Rebecca co-hosted a BIPLA luncheon conversation on Women in IP with Korean Intellectual Property Office Commissioner Insil Lee. Along with Commissioner Lee, other representatives from the KIPO and the Korean Embassy, as well as Korean IP professionals took part in the event. Ms. McNeill invited women from diverse expertise areas in IP to participate in the discussion with members of the Korean delegation. Rebecca and BIPLA are honored to have had this opportunity to strengthen relationships with IP professionals in Korea, and to have a forum for women in IP to share their experiences and expertise. 

founding and managing partner Rebecca M. McNeill named as one of the top 250 women worldwide in IP 

Managing and Founding Partner, Rebecca M. McNeill has been named as one of the Top 250 Women Worldwide in IP by Managing Intellectual Property IP Stars. This special publication recognizes senior IP practitioners in private practice who have performed exceptionally for their clients and firm in the past year. This publication features female attorneys from more than 30 jurisdictions and over 200 firms across the world.  Congratulations to Rebecca!