A prosecutor and former litigator preparing your patents to stand up in court
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. Mary has been recognized as an IP Star by Managing Intellectual Property and as a US Life Sciences Star for Intellectual Property by LMG Life Sciences. Her value-adding approach to building her clients’ IP portfolios is backed by nearly 20 years prosecuting and defending life science patents before the USPTO and several US district courts. Using her unique combination of experience, Mary identifies and seeks protection for aspects of technologies that otherwise may have gone overlooked and works closely with clients to align their IP portfolios with their company’s business goals.
Mary uses her value-adding approach to life science technology at any stage of development—from early discovery to block-buster product—and for any-sized life science business. She works with emerging startups, publicly-traded US companies, research foundations, and multi-national companies.
Mary leverages her litigation experience to reinforce her client’s IP portfolios. Her experience includes preparing and defending fact and expert witnesses at deposition; preparing expert discovery; drafting pleadings, motions, and briefs; participating in Markman proceedings and trials. Mary was also an attorney of record for amicus briefing before the district and Federal Circuit courts in the Myriad case.
Mary’s expertise in counseling gene therapy clients is backed by hands-on experience in the field. Her doctoral and post-doctoral gene therapy research involved investigated AAV therapies for the prevention and treatment of Pompe disease and other inherited metabolic and muscular disorders, and immunological considerations related to gene therapy. During the course of her research, she was involved in the clinical trial testing of the Myozyme® drug product. Mary also investigated murine embryonic stem cell transduction and differentiation; production, purification, and quantification of recombinant viral vectors (adeno-associated virus (AAV) and adenovirus); in utero gene therapy methods in mice and nonhuman primates; catalytic RNAs; and recombinant protein production, purification, and characterization. She was awarded post-doctoral funding from the National Institutes of Health and several pre-doctoral fellowships from the American Heart Association for her research.
Prior to joining McNeill PLLC, Mary practiced as an attorney for over 9 years in the Atlanta office of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP. Prior to that, Mary also gained life science patent preparation, prosecution, and interference experience working as a summer associate and law clerk at several intellectual property boutique firms throughout the Southeast.
Mary has been involved with several Life Science organizations including SEBIO, Georgia BIO, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, North Carolina Council for Entrepreneurial Development, and BioFlorida. She has also served as Chair of the SEBIO Networking Committee and as an SEBIO Early Stage Company Mentor. Mary is also a past vice-chair of the PTAB Bar Association PTAB Appeals Committee.
Select Publications
“Factors Favoring Early Settlement of Post-Grant Proceedings,” Landslide 8(6), July/August 2016 (coauthor).
“Navigating the Limitations on Discovery in AIA Post-Grant Proceedings,” Buffalo Intellectual Property Law Journal, December 3, 2015 (coauthor).
“From Allergan to BMS: Are We Forgetting the Lessons of History” BNA, Pharmaceutical Law & Industry Report, July 25, 2014; reprinted in BNA Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal, August 8, 2014 (coauthor).
“Safeguarding the Value of Patent Assets,” Pharmaceutical Executive, March 2013 (coauthor).
“Transfer of Therapeutic Genes into Fetal Rhesus Monkeys Using Recombinant Adeno-Associated Type I Viral Vectors,” Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development 27(4):152-159 (2016) (coauthor).
“Rescue of Enzyme Deficiency in Embryonic Diaphragm in a Mouse Model of Metabolic Myopathy: Pompe Disease,” Development 131(12):3007-19 (2004) (coauthor).
“Dual Vectors Expressing Murine Factor VIII Result in Sustained Correction of Hemophilia A Mice,” Human Gene Therapy 14(2):143-52 (2003) (coauthor).
“Correction of the Enzymatic and Functional Deficits in a Model of Pompe Disease Using Adeno-Associated Virus Vectors,” Molecular Therapy 5: 571–78 (2002) (coauthor).
Recognition
2024 Patent Star, Managing IP
2024 Patent Strategy Attorney of the Year - South, Shortlist, LMG Life Sciences
2023 Patent Star, Managing IP
2022 Leading Life Science Lawyer, Patent Strategy & Management, LMG Life Sciences
2016-2022 IP Star, Managing Intellectual Property
2016-2021 IP Star, LMG Life Sciences
Leadership Roles
Vice-chair of the PTAB Bar Association PTAB Appeals Committee (2016-2018)
Admissions
Florida
Georgia
US Patent and Trademark Office
US District Court, ND Georgia
US Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit (CAFC)
US Court of Appeals, Veterans Claims (CAVC)
US Supreme Court
Education
University of Florida, Levin College of Law
JD, magna cum laude, 2005
University of Florida College of Medicine
PhD, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, 2002
Jacksonville University
BS, Chemistry, magna cum laude, 1997
Select Speaking Engagements
BIO Intellectual Property Counsels Committee Conference, “Inheriting Disagreeable Agreements: Navigating IP Provisions of Third-Party Agreements and Lessons Learned,” Boston, MA, November 16, 2022.
PRG Advanced Course, “Pharma CCPA 103 & 112 Cases: A Precedential Blast from the Past,” Tampa, FL, April 13, 2016.
PRG Advanced Course, “Preparation & Prosecution of Pharma US. Patents,” Tampa, FL, April 14-15, 2016.
North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Entrepreneurship Essentials Seminar, “The Nonobvious Invention: Recognizing the Hallmarks of Patentable Bio/Pharma Inventions,” Research Triangle Park, NC, November 17, 2014.
PRG Advanced Course, “The Coming AIA IPR and PGR Tsunami for US. Pharma Big and Small Molecule Patent Owners: A Call to Action,” Raleigh, NC, October 18-19, 2014 and San Francisco, CA, November 5-6, 2014.
Georgia BIO Innovation Summit, Moderator, “Practical Considerations for Transforming Life Science IP from Bench to Market,” Atlanta, GA, October 16, 2014.
Strafford Publications Webinar, “Section 103 and Obviousness: Capitalizing on CCPA and Early Federal Circuit Precedent,” September 16, 2014.
American Conference Institute (ACI), “Interactive Working Group Session: A Hypothetical Invention Being Patented Under the AIA,” New York, NY, January 24, 2013.