Charles M. Lizza

Charles M. Lizza
Primary Office
Overview

Charlie Lizza brings more than 40 years of litigation experience to his representation of pharmaceutical companies in high stakes patent litigation. Mr. Lizza concentrates his practice in Hatch-Waxman ANDA litigation and protecting the intellectual property of branded pharmaceutical and medical device companies. He currently serves as New Jersey litigation counsel in more than two dozen patent cases for approximately 20 major pharmaceutical companies. Under Mr. Lizza's leadership, Saul Ewing's patent litigation team was ranked fourth nationally for the number of cases involving patentee representation, and fourth nationally for the number of cases involving ANDA plaintiff representation. 

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Mr. Lizza is Co-Chair of Saul Ewing’s Intellectual Property Litigation Practice and Vice Chair of the Litigation Department. Over the years, Mr. Lizza has represented a major tobacco manufacturer in all of its product liability cases in New Jersey, including class action litigation, and has handled a wide range of complex, bet-the-company commercial litigation cases in the U.S. Federal Courts from California to Puerto Rico. Mr. Lizza has also served as a court-appointed mediator in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and has mediated approximately 10 cases in that court.

Mr. Lizza currently serves as a member of the Lawyers' Advisory Committee and the Local Patent Rules Committee for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. He is the former Chairman of the New Jersey Supreme Court's Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law and a member of the Supreme Court's Professional Responsibility Rules Committee. He also serves as a Trustee of the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey and was Chair of its Judicial Conference and Third Circuit Conference. Mr. Lizza has taught at seminars for Federal Judges in the District of New Jersey and reviewed and edited materials presented to newly appointed Judges and Magistrate Judges.

In public service, Mr. Lizza currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Saint Peter's University. He has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Covenant House New York and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Saint Peter's Prep in Jersey City, NJ. In 2014, he was inducted into the Eagle Scout Hall of Fame of the Patriots' Path Council where he currently serves as a member of its Executive Board.

Prior to joining Saul Ewing in 2007, Mr. Lizza was a partner for more than 15 years with the New York-based firm LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae LLP. Prior to that, he was an associate at Shearman & Sterling and a Law Clerk to Chief Judge David N. Edelstein of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Mr. Lizza is admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals for the Federal, Third and Ninth Circuits, the New Jersey Federal and State Courts and the New York Federal and State Courts.

Chambers USA Testimonials and Other Recognitions

Since 2011, Mr. Lizza has been named one of "America's Leading Lawyers in Intellectual Property Law" by Chambers USA. Since 2019, he has been named to the NJBiz Law Power 50 list. Since 2016, he has been named to The Best Lawyers in America list, Commercial Litigation, and since 2014, he has been named an "IP Star" by Managing Intellectual Property magazine.

  • "Charles Lizza is an experienced litigator, noted for his expertise in patent and product liability disputes, particularly in the pharmaceutical and medical device arenas. 'The experience and results have been outstanding. He's very knowledgeable regarding the judges and court procedures,' reports one impressed client, who also singles out  Lizza's 'excellent writing skills and great judgment.'" (Chambers USA, 2017)
  • "Charles Lizza mainly represents clients in complex pharmaceutical and medical device patent litigation. Clients appreciate his 'very sound and useful strategic advice' and 'deep knowledge and great experience,' while peers say they 'have been very impressed with him - he is a talented lawyer with excellent judgment." (Chambers USA, 2016)
  • "Charles Lizza is a widely respected IP practitioner with a great deal of experience handling complex litigation. Market commentators say: 'He has extraordinary judgment, he's quick on his feet and has great confidence." (Chambers USA, 2015)
  • "Charles Lizza is praised by sources for his 'good judgment' and 'sage advice.' His clients include Celgene, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals and Prometheus Laboratories." (Chambers USA, 2014)
  • "Charles Lizza is commended by sources for his 'attention to detail' and ability to 'understand how judges think.' He has a strong following among pharmaceutical companies, his clients, including the likes of Procter & Gamble, Merck and GlaxoSmithKline." (Chambers USA, 2013)
  • "Charles Lizza is an expert in pharmaceutical-related patent litigation. He is lauded as a 'very good sounding board for decision making, provides valuable guidance on strategy in the federal court, and is very easy to work with." (Chambers USA, 2012)
  • "Charlie exercises both 'fantastic judgment and a superb understanding of each case.' ... Recent highlights include assisting both Celgene and King Pharmaceuticals in patent-related disputes." (Chambers USA, 2011)
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