Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto LLP Names Three New Partners

Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto LLP, one of the world’s premier intellectual property law firms, recently announced that Donald Heckenberg, Jason Leonard, and Brendan O’Malley have been elected partners of the firm.

“Donald, Jason, and Brendan have each demonstrated a strong commitment to Fitzpatrick and we are excited to welcome them to our partnership,” said Dominick Conde, partner and member of the Management Committee. “We are proud to announce the achievements of these three lawyers who have served the firm and our clients with the highest level of professionalism and service.”

Donald H. Heckenberg, Jr., Patent Prosecution, Washington, D.C.
Donald Heckenberg conducts preparation and prosecution of patent applications in chemical, mechanical, and electrical arts. Mr. Heckenberg also handles complex proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, including reexaminations, reissue applications, and post grant proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. In addition, Mr. Heckenberg’s practice includes patent-related counseling, such as conducting due diligence investigations, and preparation of opinions on infringement, validity, and enforceability. He received his J.D. from American University Washington College of Law, and his B.S. from Northwestern University.

Jason A. Leonard, Litigation, New York
Jason Leonard’s practice focuses on complex pharmaceutical patent litigation. Mr. Leonard has extensive experience litigating pharmaceutical patents involving enantiomers, polymorphs, and drug formulations. His litigation experience includes patents concerning oncology drugs, antifungal agents, and oral contraceptives. Mr. Leonard is also a co-author of the United States chapter in The Intellectual Property Review, now in its fourth edition. Before practicing law, Mr. Leonard worked for six years as a solid-state and analytical chemist at Pfizer. His work included development of analytical methods for drug formulations and synthesis of novel polymorphs and salts of pharmaceutical compounds. Mr. Leonard is a co-inventor on several solid-state pharmaceutical patents, including patents for atorvastatin (Lipitor®). He received his J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center (now the University of New Hampshire) and his B.S. from the University of Connecticut.

Brendan M. O’Malley, Ph.D., Litigation, New York
Brendan O’Malley has experience in all aspects of intellectual property law. Dr. O’Malley represents clients in a broad range of pharmaceutical and biotechnology cases including litigations at the district court level through trial and before the Federal Circuit on appeal, as well as in post-grant proceedings before the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Dr. O’Malley has also represented clients in international arbitration proceedings, and counsels clients on complex IP issues and in connection with mergers and acquisitions, particularly in the areas of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Dr. O’Malley is a member of the firm’s Biotechnology, Chemicals, and Pharmaceuticals industry groups. He received his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, his Ph.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine, and his B.S. from the University of Massachusetts.

About Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto LLP:

Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto, founded in 1971, is a leading national intellectual property law firm of nearly 150 lawyers with offices in New York, Washington D.C. and Orange County, California that serve a diverse national and international clientele from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. At Fitzpatrick, intellectual property is not just a practice area – it is the sole focus. The firm’s practice covers the spectrum of intellectual property services, including applying for patent and trademark protection, litigation, appeals, interferences, post-grant challenges (e.g., IPRs), alternative dispute resolution, licensing, opinions, corporate transactions and due diligence.