Justin Crotty helps universities and companies navigate the legal complexities of developing, protecting and commercializing international patent portfolios, particularly in the life sciences and biotechnology industry. An experienced intellectual property attorney, Justin’s work ranges from supervising the drafting and prosecution of patent applications for critical inventions to advising on IP due diligence needed when buying or selling the rights of IP assets. Justin also regularly drafts and negotiates IP-centric commercial agreements for clients in the life sciences industry, including service agreements and in and out licenses.
Justin provides strategic guidance to clients of Saul Ewing’s Intellectual Property team in connection with patent preparation and prosecution, as well as the development of freedom-to-operate, non-infringement and invalidity opinions.
[read-more]
Justin’s legal work is informed by an educational background that includes a doctorate in chemistry as well as a fellowship in a university technology transfer office, where he evaluated inventions for their potential commercial value. This combination of scientific training, technology transfer experience, and IP legal practice enables him to understand the practical and legal challenges clients face in translating innovation into commercial products and to align IP strategy with broader business objectives
Justin has been named to The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch list for Intellectual Property Law for three consecutive years.
Patent Prosecutions & IP-Related Transactions
Select work:
- Drafted a patent application protecting therapeutic antibodies and participated in the negotiation and drafting of an out license to a partner with the resources to bring the product to market. Continued prosecution of the patent filings to issuance in multiple jurisdictions.
- Represented a gene therapy company through multiple rounds of fundraising and associated diligence, renegotiated their license with their university licensor and guided the development of their patent portfolio.
- Oversaw the development and expansion of a complex patent portfolio for a company in the rare disease space and guided their intellectual property strategy from their formation to their acquisition.
- Managed the intellectual property strategy, both patent prosecution and freedom to operate, of a gene therapy company through multiple rounds of diligence until they successfully partnered through an out license of an asset.
- Guided the development of multiple university patent portfolios that have been successfully licensed to industry.
- District of Columbia
- Massachusetts
- United States Patent & Trademark Office
- Virginia
Degrees
- J.D., The George Washington University Law School, 2012
- Ph.D., University of Arizona, 2009
- B.S., Eckerd College, 2002
Honors & Awards
- Named to The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch list, Intellectual Property Law, 2023 to present