Jason A. Leonard '07

Jason Leonard advises clients on complex life sciences patent litigation. During his 14 years of practice, he has counseled numerous pharmaceutical companies in developing effective patent litigation strategies for a wide array of pharmaceutical products. He leads and directs patent litigations involving small molecule drugs and peptides, including cancer therapies, oral contraceptives, steroids, antifungal agents, anticholinergics, β3-agonists and pharmacologic stress agents. Jason has successfully defended patents covering new chemical compounds, as well as complex inventions covering formulations, polymorphs, and methods of treatment. Clients frequently rely on him to address difficult infringement issues, particularly when design-around defenses have been asserted and extensive infringement proofs must be presented at trial. Jason's legal experience spans all stages of patent litigation, including pre-suit investigations, multiple-defendant litigations and appeals to the Federal Circuit. In developing trial strategies, Jason uses his passion for science and mastery of pharmaceutical chemistry to simplify the intricacies of drug discovery and development into concise and compelling narratives for trial. Prior to attending law school, Jason spent six years as a pharmaceutical chemist at an innovator pharmaceutical company where he specialized in analytical and solid-state chemistry. As part of his work, Jason's research resulted in more than a dozen patents and patent applications, including patents covering the cholesterol medication atorvastatin. His industry experience has become indispensable to clients as they frequently request his thorough analysis of the technology as part of the trial strategy. While his practice focuses on leading and advising on patent litigation, Jason has also been involved in due diligence and licensing matters, including arbitrations concerning patent licenses. He has also been involved in inter-partes review (IPR) and interference practice at the US Patent and Trademark Office. Jason is also active in the areas of diversity and inclusion in the practice of law. He currently serves his community of New Rochelle, New York where he was appointed to the LGBTQ Advisory Committee to the City Council.