As a registered patent attorney and partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property practice group, Derick Allen assists both emerging and Fortune 500 pharmaceutical, chemical and life science-based companies with the development and application of their technologies. In view of the diverse nature of the companies Derick serves, he has developed a practical, cost-effective and business-oriented approach to secure and protect their intellectual property rights.

Derick has experience in advising such companies in the strategic development and management of their global patent portfolio, including the preparation and prosecution of both U.S. and foreign patent applications. Additionally, Derick provides patent portfolio evaluation and related due diligence assessments for clients, often as part of licensing and other transactional matters. Derick also assists with pre-litigation assessments of patent rights by performing validity and infringement analyses, and has extensive experience in providing patentability, validity, non-infringement and freedom-to-operate opinions.

Within the pharmaceutical field, Derick has experience supporting small-molecule research and development for the treatment of pain, hormone deficiencies, kidney disease, hypertension, high cholesterol and cancer, as well as various related imaging and diagnostic reagents. Outside the pharmaceutical field, Derick has experience supporting both small- and large-molecule research and development with polymeric materials, organometallic catalysts, herbicides and various food products.