ArentFox Schiff Adds 17-Member Technology and Life Sciences Industry Team in Boston

The IP team includes Partners Joseph M. Maraia, Dr. Daniel W. Clarke, Christopher Carroll, Laura L. Carroll, Brooke A. Penrose, Paul A. Pysher, and Howard J. Susser; Counsel Shawn P. Foley, Bruce D. Jobse, and Joseph P. Quinn; and six associates and patent agents. In addition, litigation Partner Shepard Davidson has joined ArentFox Schiff and will continue to focus his practice on complex business torts and contract claims. This group joins from Burns & Levinson after ArentFox Schiff welcomed a four-partner Automotive team from the firm in April.

With these recent additions, AFS’s Boston office has grown by more than 40% in 2024.

“ArentFox Schiff has long had a preeminent IP practice, and one of our strategic goals was to further expand this in Boston with a focus on life sciences, patent, litigation, trademark, and general IP services,” said Chairman Anthony V. Lupo. “Adding this talented team helps us accomplish that goal. This group’s clients also fit strategically into our industry approach to the business of law, and based on our prior success with laterals and groups, we anticipate a number of opportunities to significantly grow revenue.”

The team brings decades of combined experience with a range of patent, trademark, and copyright issues, both in the United States and abroad, covering patent procurement and counseling, opinion services, transactional services, post-grant proceedings, due diligence, licensing, and litigation. Their backgrounds — including a former patent examiner, a master electrician, and a molecular microbiology Ph.D., among others — offer valuable insights to clients in specialized and technical industries.

“Thanks to its many leading universities, research institutions, and cutting-edge companies, the Boston area continues to be a hub for innovation that demands top-tier IP services,” said Boston Managing Partner David M. Barbash. “Adding this highly respected group of attorneys will offer immense benefits to our clients in New England and across the country as they grow their businesses.”

Members of the team routinely handle IP matters for major clients across several industries, including technology, life sciences, consumer products, defense, telecommunications, manufacturing, health care, and retail. They practice before state and federal courts, the US Patent and Trademark Office, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, the European Patent Office, and the World Intellectual Property Organization.

“ArentFox Schiff’s IP team is among the best in the legal field, advising established industry giants, startups, and everything in between on their valuable IP portfolios,” said Partner Joe Maraia. “We look forward to leveraging the firm’s resources and platform to help our clients make the most out of their innovations.”

“The complex litigation capabilities and industry focus at AFS present an enormous opportunity for us to continue to provide first-rate business counsel to our clients with a truly national footprint,” said Partner Shep Davidson. “We already see a number of ways that this move will give us the bench strength and legal depth needed to give our clients the support they need to meet their critical business objectives.”

Meet Our New Attorneys

Joseph M. Maraia: A respected IP authority, Joe provides strategic, business-focused counsel to clients in the engineering, life sciences, medical device, and consumer products sectors. He has extensive experience with domestic and foreign patent litigation and prosecution matters, including before federal courts and the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board. With a background in electrical engineering, Joe has deep familiarity with a variety of computer networks and internet technologies, data structures, encryption technologies, compression and decompression techniques, digital signal processing, neural networks and artificial intelligence, machine learning, pattern matching, and virtual reality technologies.

Daniel W. Clarke, Ph.D.: Leveraging his doctorate in molecular microbiology, Dan advises life sciences organizations looking to protect their IP portfolios — with a focus on preparing patent applications, international patent prosecution, and due diligence evaluations. He regularly consults on patentability, invalidity, freedom-to-operate, and non-infringement. Dan’s experience spans numerous life sciences technologies, including those relating to microbiology, molecular biology, molecular diagnostics, oncology, immunology, tissue and cell engineering/regeneration, medical devices, and small molecule therapeutics.

Shepard Davidson: A former co-chair of Burns & Levinson’s Business Litigation Group, Shep’s practice spans a range of business disputes, including complex business torts, contract claims, non-compete litigation, and issues involving closely held businesses. He has extensive experience in all phases of civil litigation. Shep has tried cases in the Massachusetts Superior and District Courts and US District Court in addition to arguing before the Massachusetts Appeals Court and Supreme Judicial Court.

Christopher Carroll: With a focus on cross-border IP matters, Chris develops strategies pertaining to patents, trademarks, and copyrights in the US, Europe, and internationally, and has practiced extensively before the US Patent and Trademark Office and the European Patent Office. He regularly drafts and prosecutes patent matters and advises on patent portfolio issues for clients around the world, including on patent validity, license agreements, freedom-to-operate, and infringement.

Laura L. Carroll: Laura’s practice focuses on IP litigation related to patents, trademarks, trade secrets, unfair competition, and trade dress. She has a strong track record representing clients before federal courts, as well as in state courts in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Brooke A. Penrose: Brooke counsels clients on a range of IP matters involving trademarks, copyrights, and domain names, as well as data security regulations and personal information processing. She guides clients throughout all stages of IP rights, from formulating initial strategies for brand launches and preparing copyright registration applications to enforcing and defending trademark claims and addressing licensing needs.

Paul A. Pysher: With more than two decades of experience in IP matters, Paul’s practice includes patent prosecutions, freedom-to-operate studies, infringement matters, risk assessments, and issues involving IP assets — primarily for clients in the mechanical and electrical arts spaces. Earlier in his career, he worked as a spacecraft integrator designing electrical interfaces and conducting ground-ops testing for satellites and launch vehicles.

Howard J. Susser: Howard has more than 30 years of experience as an IP attorney litigating disputes involving trademarks, patents, copyrights, licensing, trade secrets, unfair competition, false advertising, and antitrust issues. He represents clients in patent prosecution, inter partes reviews, reexaminations, interferences, trademark oppositions, cancellations, and IP-related commercial arbitration and mediation.

Shawn P. Foley: A former patent examiner, Shawn works with startup, established, and not-for-profit organizations in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries. He frequently conducts freedom-to-operate studies and due diligence for patents, as well as creating and implementing global strategies for the preparation and prosecution of patent applications for diverse technologies.

Bruce D. Jobse: Bruce is both a patent attorney and licensing and transactional attorney with over three decades of experience in IP at both startups and industry-leading technology companies. His practice includes preparing and prosecuting patent and trademark portfolios, licensing IP, drafting tech transfer agreements, and conducting IP due diligence.

Joseph P. Quinn: Joseph works with clients to help identify and patent their valuable IP and protect international IP portfolios. He has experience drafting and prosecuting patent applications both in the US and globally for a wide array of technologies, as well as conducting due diligence analyses, valuation studies, patent infringement litigation, and foreign opposition proceedings.