Joseph P. Meara, Ph.D., is a partner and intellectual property lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP. Joe counsels clients in the chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries on domestic and international intellectual property strategies. He is a member of the firm's Chemical, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Practice and the Life Sciences, Food & Beverage, and Energy Industry Teams.
Joe’s practice extends to all aspects of patent procurement, non-infringement, freedom to operate and invalidity opinions, due diligence, licensing and IP portfolio management. In addition, Joe has been actively involved in appeals to the Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as well as Patent Office Trials, serving as lead counsel for inter partes review proceedings both opposing and defending patents.
Joe's practice spans a wide array of technical areas including pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology, molecular biology and personalized medicine. Joe also has extensive experience in renewable energy technology including biofuels, and chemical and biochemical fields such as peptides, proteins, organic and enzymatic synthetic methods, catalysts, electrochemicals, composites, adhesives and polymers.
Joe's scientific experience includes several leadership positions at Molecumetics, Ltd., a start-up pharmaceutical company, where he served as intellectual property manager, project leader, and senior scientist. His research involved the design and synthesis of protease inhibitors, including antithrombotics and antibacterials. His chemical knowledge includes organic and peptide synthesis, combinatorial chemistry, and the use of solid-phase and high-throughput synthesis techniques in the creation of complex heterocyclic compounds.
Education
Joe received his Juris Doctorate, with honors, from the University of Washington School of Law (2002), where he was executive articles editor of the Washington Law Review. Joe earned his doctorate in medicinal chemistry from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and his Bachelor's degree in chemistry from Washington University.
Prior to joining Foley & Lardner, Joe was a judicial extern for the Hon. Barbara J. Rothstein, Federal District Court of Western Washington.
Admissions and Professional Memberships
Joe is admitted to practice in Wisconsin and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, and the American Chemical Society.
