Jerry Swiss is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP. He concentrates his practice on strategic counseling, including implementation of IP strategy for clients in the biopharmaceutical, life science and medical device arenas. He is a member of the firm's Chemical, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Practice.
Mr. Swiss has approximately 30 years of IP experience in patent prosecution directed to protecting small molecules, chemical processes, enzymes, and medical devices. In particular, Mr. Swiss has handled a significant amount of IP work on new chemical entity scaffolds for the treatment of cancers, anemia, thrombosis, and inflammatory diseases.
In recognition of his experience, he has been Peer Review Rated as BV® Distinguished™, a mark of excellence in Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system. He was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® (2012) and the Legal 500 also recognized Mr. Swiss in 2011 as one of the leading lawyers in the U.S. for patent prosecution: utility and design patents.
Mr. Swiss started his career as a medicinal research chemist at Schering Corporation, where he worked in the synthesis of small molecules in the pharmaceutical arena. His research focused on anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive compounds.
In addition to his patent prosecution skills, Mr. Swiss' legal experience includes developing international patent strategies for critical lead compounds and new discovery platforms, addressing due diligence, freedom to operate, validity and infringement/non-infringement analyses, as well as patent procurement.
Mr. Swiss received his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law (cum laude, 1981). He earned his M.S. in organic chemistry from the University of Chicago (1976) and his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame (cum laude, 1975).
Mr. Swiss is admitted to practice in California, New Jersey, and before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Federal Circuit. He is also registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.