Procopio’s rapidly growing Life Sciences practice is now led by award-winning IP Partner Jeffrey Morton. A PhD immunologist, he has extensive patent experience in technologies including genomics, immunology, and gene editing technologies, and provides strategic intellectual property advice, including patent prosecution, and related transactional support for emerging and mature companies in life sciences and medical technologies.

Attorneys in Procopio’s Life Sciences practice bring decades of law firm and in-house counsel experience, from life-saving pharmaceuticals to breakthrough biotechnologies. Representing emerging and mature companies, they provide innovators in biologics, genomic, diagnostic, e-health, digital health technologies and other life sciences companies a full suite of legal services including corporate formation, financing and venture capital, M&A, IP counseling, strategy and litigation, licensing, privacy and cybersecurity, employment and real estate.

Previously Chair of the Life Sciences Industry Group & Co-Chair of Technology Industry Group at Snell & Wilmer’s San Diego office, Morton joined Procopio in May 2022. Admitted in California, Arizona, and British Columbia, as well as with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, his accolades include being named to Best Lawyers® for Biotechnology and Life Sciences and recognition by IAM as both a Strategy 300 Global Leader and a Strategy 300 World-Leading IP Strategist.

Procopio’s Life Sciences attorneys’ molecular biology experience includes gene therapy, personalized cancer immunotherapy, TCRs, antibodies/peptibodies; antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs); protein therapeutics, cancer therapies, cellular immunotherapy, nucleic acids, as well as next-generation sequencing and modern genomics. The attorneys’ chemistry technical expertise includes pharmaceuticals, industrial biotechnology, organic chemistry and polymer chemistry, in areas as diverse as peptide pharmaceuticals, adhesives, drug delivery technology, and medical devices.

The firm’s Life Sciences practice has grown significantly in recent years under the previous leadership of Partners Noel Gillespie and Robert “Bob” Ramos.

Noel advises startups and emerging growth clients on strategic patent portfolio development, the most important objectives being market share and premium pricing. He has extensive experience working with digital health, health information technology, and medical device companies. Noel worked as an electrical engineer for many years before practicing law. He lead’s Procopio’s expansive Intellectual Property team of more than 50 attorneys.

Bob assists venture-backed startups, mid-sized companies, basic research institutes, as well as large biopharmaceutical companies related to worldwide patent and trademark acquisition and strategic counseling in the biotechnology arts. In the biopharma industry prior to joining Procopio, Bob practiced at Amgen for over 10 years, where he was the lead IP Attorney for 2 commercial and 2 Phase I biologics.  Bob also managed the worldwide procurement and enforcement strategy for a trademark portfolio comprising hundreds of registered trademarks protecting numerous pharmaceutical products.