Polsinelli PC issued the following announcement on Nov. 30.
Am Law 100 firm Polsinelli has grown its Miami office with two new intellectual property attorneys, Rebecca C.E. McFadyen, Ph.D., and Robert Rodriguez. Both new attorneys join as Counsel, and with their additions, Polsinelli’s Miami office has doubled its attorney headcount since inception in 2019.
With this growth, the Miami office now has local attorneys that mirror each of the firm’s core strengths – corporate, real estate and financial services, health care, litigation and intellectual property – plus the newly established Latin America Practice, formulated in March. Polsinelli now provides a full complement of services at the local level in Miami blended with the vast national support in the firm’s 21 offices nationwide.
“We are pleased to welcome these two esteemed colleagues to our Miami office and look forward to having boots-on-the-ground intellectual property expertise here,” said Polsinelli Miami Office Managing Partner J. Everett Wilson. “Rebecca and Robert bring some of the highest-level of IP experience in the industry and deep community involvement as well. We look forward to collaborating with them.”
Rebecca C.E. McFadyen, Ph.D.
As the newest member of Polsinelli’s national Biotech/Life Science Patent Prosecution Practice, McFadyen is a registered patent attorney with a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences. She focuses her practice on all aspects of domestic and international patent prosecution, including third-party pre-issuance submissions, client counseling and pre-litigation analysis related to the life sciences and biotechnology areas.
McFadyen has handled complex matters including evaluating scientific and medical information for a medical device manufacturer in a high-profile MDL, and advising a state university and its research foundation in a patent infringement lawsuit against multiple pharmaceutical companies. She brings experience in a variety of technologies including DNA and protein therapeutics, stem cell technologies, genetic engineering, gene therapy, molecular and cellular biological screening assays, vaccines, peptide/protein therapy and diagnostics, to name a few.
McFadyen received her J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Florida College of Medicine, and her Bachelor’s in Biology from the College of the Holy Cross. She is admitted to practice in Florida, Georgia and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). McFadyen remains active in many industry involvements, including serving as Co-Chair of the Mentoring Committee for Craig S. Barnard American Inn of Court LIV, where she was a past pupillage group leader. She is a member of Palm Beach County Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL), Martin County Women Lawyers Association (MCWLA), Georgia Association for Women Lawyers (GAWL) and AUTM.
“Polsinelli’s ongoing demonstrated leadership and forward-thinking biotech and life sciences capabilities were extremely desirable to me when presented with an opportunity to join the firm,” said McFadyen. “I look forward to connecting with my new colleagues across the country and carrying forth Polsinelli’s commitment to excellent client service.”
Robert Rodriguez
Rodriguez joins Polsinelli’s national Electrical Engineering/Computer Science Practice. His practice focuses on preparing and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications for a wide range of technologies, including wireless communications, computer networking, cloud computing, software applications, electrical circuits and business methods. Prior to practicing law, Rodriguez was an electrical engineer in the telecommunications industry for 13 years, serving as a vital contributor to the design team for many electronic devices.
As a patent attorney, Rodriguez serves individuals and business clients in all phases of procuring and protecting their intellectual property, including patent, trademark and copyright litigation matters. He routinely advises in-house patent counsel on client patent portfolio matters and conducts invention disclosure meetings and patent harvesting meetings for corporate clients.
Rodriguez furthers his legal knowledge through his leadership position with the Intellectual Property Law Association of Florida, as well as membership with the American Intellectual Property Law Association. He is admitted to practice in Florida and before the USPTO. Rodriguez obtained an electrical engineering degree from the University of Florida before obtaining a J.D., summa cum laude, from Nova Southeastern University.
“I look forward to this new chapter in my legal career with such a well-respected law firm like Polsinelli. The firm shares my mission of providing superior client service combined with solving complex legal matters, proving it to be a good fit for my practice,” said Rodriguez.
McFadyen and Rodriguez add depth to the established national IP team, which includes recently added Shareholder Melissa M. Harwood, Ph.D., Patent Agent JP Meyer, Ph.D., and Patent Agent Lisa Lippert, Ph.D, who joined Polsinelli in October and bolstered the Seattle office’s IP capabilities. Polsinelli also added Shareholder Michelle McMullen, Ph.D., to its IP team capabilities in Chicago and Raleigh, N.C.
“We are pleased to have the strategic thinking and problem-solving mentality from Rebecca and Robert on our team,” said Polsinelli Intellectual Property Department Chair Patrick Woolley. “They bring strong and diverse backgrounds to our Department, while continuing our momentum in the strategic growth of our IP team not only in Miami, but across the country.”
The Intellectual Property Department is nationally ranked in the BTI Litigation Outlook 2020 as a Standout in Intellectual Property Litigation. The Department is also among the Top 1-2% of patent firms overall and the Top 100 for Biotech by Patexia’s Patent Prosecution Intelligence Report, 2020 Edition. Polsinelli’s Intellectual Property Department continuously earns national recognition such as its inclusion in the IAM Patent 1000.
Original source can be found here.