McDermott Will & Schulte’s IP department is home to a robust patent litigation team whose capabilities include jury and bench trial work, patent and design infringement matters as well as strategy. The firm leverages its international bench strength to handle cross-border IP disputes, excelling in the energy, technology and life sciences sectors. The global IP practice is co-led by Douglas Carsten, a first-chair trial litigator based in San-Diego, whose track record involves litigating on behalf of the biggest companies in pharmaceuticals and biotech. Boston-based Sarah Columbia is an experienced strategist and a go-to litigator for trade secret, and invalidity trials. Timothy Best joined the team in November 2025 from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. April Weisbruch left the firm in April 2025.
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- Understanding the relevant market.
Key clients
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
- Bausch & Lomb
- Bausch Health Companies Inc.
- DataCore Software Corporation
- Dell Inc./Dell Technologies
- Halliburton Co.
- Hydro-Quebec, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Universite de Montreal, and LiFePO4+C Licensing AG
- K-Fee System GmbH
- MyScript
- Natera Inc.
- Neurelis, Inc.
- Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Work highlights
Secured a series of wins for biotechnology leader United Therapeutics Corporation (UTC) in a series of complex patent, trade secret, and regulatory litigations against Liquidia Technologies regarding UTC’s flagship Tyvaso® product for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Represented Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in a patent infringement lawsuit against Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech regarding the alleged unauthorized use of Alnylam’s cationic biodegradable lipid technology in their COVID-19 vaccines.
After achieving wins in appeals, IPR proceedings, and during the Markman hearing, obtained a favorable settlement on behalf of K-fee System GmbH, a subsidiary of Kruger GmbH, on a patent litigation against Nespresso over single-use coffee capsules.
Practice head
Doug Carsten; Jennifer Mikulina
Other key lawyers
Timothy Best; Sarah Columbia; Mike Sitzman; Tom Steindler; Ian Brooks