Trailblazer in Patent Litigation
Dr. Eldora Ellison is a trailblazer in patent litigation representing notable clients at the Washington D.C. intellectual property firm Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox.
She is a director of the firms’ biotech/chemical and litigation practice groups, co-chair of the firms’ PTO litigation practice, and a member of its executive committee. She was the firm’s first African-American director and also the first to serve on the executive committee.
In matters before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Ellison has led the firm’s representation of notable clients, such as ImmunoGen, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of cancer treatment drugs, and Laboratorios Silanes S.A., a Mexico-based pharmaceutical company.
Earlier in her career, she served as lead counsel on the first pharmaceutical inter partes review (IPR) before the PTAB. Today, she has approximately 60 IPR matters before the PTAB, and likely sets a record in the biotechnology and organic chemistry technology space.
The foundation of Ellison’s litigation practice is built upon the strength of her early work in patent prosecution and her extensive experience handling patent interferences, district court litigation, transactional matters, and serving as an expert witness. She represents a wide array of clients in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, molecular biology, therapeutic methods, diagnostic assays, analytical instruments, immunology, virology, bacteriology, and vaccines.
As a recognized leading practitioner in the life sciences, she is a go to source for reporters. She is also a prolific writer who is published in numerous technical and legal articles in a broad array of legal and industry publications.
Last year, The National Law Journal recognized Ellison as one of its top 50 Litigation Trailblazers and Law360 named her an MVP in Life Sciences. Managing Intellectual Property nominated her for its PTAB Litigator of the Year award, and has named her an IP Star for the past four years. LMG Life Sciences nominated her for its Patent Prosecutor of the Year award, and has named her a Life Sciences Star three times. Intellectual Asset Management Patent 1000 rankings include her among the world’s leading patent professionals.
“Being a woman in my profession has been challenging at times, since this profession is rather male-dominated, but it has also been rewarding,” she said. “I like showing both men and women what women can do when they have the opportunity and put their minds to it.”
Ellison holds a BS in biology from Haverford College, a PhD in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology from Cornell University and a law degree from Georgetown University.
