Catherine McCarty > Goodwin > Boston, United States > Lawyer Profile

Goodwin
100 NORTHERN AVENUE
BOSTON MA 02210
MASSACHUSETTS
United States
Catherine McCarty photo

Position

Partner

Career

Cathy McCarty is a partner in Goodwin’s Technology and Life Sciences groups, and a co-chair of Goodwin’s Intellectual Property practice group. Cathy works with clients to protect their innovations and procure intellectual property through intellectual property strategies that are integrated with each client’s business goals. She works with public and private companies of all sizes and stages of development, including venture funded start-ups, venture capital partnerships, and entities that invest in, or evaluate, pharmaceutical and life science companies and technologies.

Cathy specializes in intellectual property relating to pharmaceuticals and general chemistry matters, including small molecule drugs, salt forms, solid forms, and chemical processes. She also has worked on various litigation matters involving pharmaceutical and chemical products.

Cathy approaches each client and each matter with the drive and focus required to master the project at hand. She works to integrate the intellectual property with the practical business issues faced by the client, including scientific, financial, regulatory, and competitive issues. Her client projects are varied and include designing and managing worldwide patent estates on drug candidates, evaluating competitive landscapes to determine patentability and freedom to operate, procuring IP strategy for early stage start-up companies, performing IP due diligence for investors, and advising on license agreements, collaborations, and regulatory issues.

Education

JD, 2002, Harvard Law School / MS, Chemistry, Yale University / BS, Chemistry, Indiana University (honors)

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Intellectual property > Patents: licensing

Working closely with companies at all stages of growth, in both US and foreign jurisdictions, Goodwin is lauded for its licensing, technology transactions, patent enforcement, prosecution and counseling. Capable of acting in various industries, clients span tech, life sciences, private equity, and financial services. In Boston Catherine McCarty co-heads the IP practice group, bringing expertise in IP to help clients in pharma and chemistry matters protect their innovations. Silicon Valley’s James Riley co-heads the group and frequently represents emerging growth tech companies and venture capital firms in licensing matters. Adept in technology, data and IP transactions is Boston-based lawyer Stephen Charkoudian. Kingsley Taft is well-versed in supporting emerging to mature life science companies. Washington DC’s Noelle Dubiansky possesses broad capabilities in IP including licensing and commercial undertakings for a diverse clientele including biotech, pharma and medical devices. Bethany Withers specializes in tech data, publicity rights and IP matters. Unless otherwise stated, all lawyers are based in Boston.

United States > Intellectual property > Patents: prosecution (including re-examination and post-grant proceedings)

Goodwin‘s group has a strong reputation for its patent prosecution work in the life sciences and tech sectors in particular. The team is also equipped to assist across pharma, medical devices, and tech among other sectors, advising on patent matters covering clearance, patentability, infringement, and validity, among other areas. The team is helmed by Boston-based Catherine McCarty and James Riley, who works from Silicon Valley. A life sciences expert with a specialism in drug development, Theresa Kavanaugh is a key name in Boston. Carl Morales joined the New York office from Fenwick & West LLP in January 2025.